Health officials in Nevada suspect a child died after contracting a brain-eating amoeba from natural hot springs.
According to the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, the child could have been exposed to the amoeba at Ash Springs, which is about 100 miles north of Las Vegas.
In numerous Facebook posts, the child's family identified the 2-year-old as Woodrow Bundy. They've spent the last week asking for prayers.
The family said Woodrow's mother rushed him to the hospital after his flu-like symptoms began to worsen. At the hospital, she apparently thought he could be suffering from meningitis. Doctors determined he had contracted a brain-eating amoeba.
Woodrow died on July 19.
"He loved life, and he loved his family with every ounce of his soul," his obituary says.
Brain-eating amoeba death possibly linked to sinus cleansing
A person in Florida died from a brain-eating amoeba that may be linked to tap water used to cleanse their sinuses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes how rare the infection is. The agency reports that there have been about 160 documented cases of infection and death in the U.S. since 1962.
Woodrow was the third person in Nevada to die from a brain-eating amoeba. The last case was in October 2022 when the Southern Nevada Health District confirmed a Clark County resident had died from the amoeba after possibly being exposed at Lake Mead on the Arizona side of the lake.
The CDC said although the risk is low, anyone who goes into the water should always assume they're at risk. The agency recommends avoiding jumping into warm freshwater, using a nose clip and keeping your head above water.
