Girl dies after contracting brain-eating parasite from water up her nose
A 10-year-old girl has died after contracting a brain-eating parasite while swimming.
Lily Mae Avant contracted the parasite while swimming over the Labor Day weekend in Texas at the beginning of the month.
Initially it was thought she had some sort of virus, but Lily quickly deteriorated and it was confirmed she had contracted Naegleria Fowleri, which is known as the “brain-eating amoeba”.
It was confirmed through Facebook posts Lily had died over the weekend, however, the family didn’t make a statement until Monday.
“Words cannot begin to express how overwhelming this past week has been for our family,” family member, Wendy Scott wrote on the ‘Lily Strong’ Facebook page.
“We have been flooded by your love and support and feel incredibly humbled by how many lives have been impacted by our sweet and sassy, Lily Mae.”
The school Lily attended, Valley Mills Elementary, shared condolences on Facebook and said they were going to provide assistance to staff and students.
“Lily was an absolute blessing to our elementary school. She was an outstanding student, but more importantly, Lily was an incredible person and friend to all,” Valley Mills Elementary wrote on Facebook.
“She was loving, kind, respectful, and had a beautiful heart. This campus and community are beyond blessed for the time we shared with our Lily.”
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists Naegleria Fowleri as a parasite, which can cause a “rare and devastating infection of the brain”, most cases of the infection are fatal.
Naegleria Fowleri is contracted when people get contaminated water up their nose, but not from swallowing. Usually the parasite is found in warm freshwater – most often rivers and lakes.
Lily’s family are now trying to bring awareness to the disease.
“We started this platform because we wanted to bring awareness to Amoeba in an effort to prevent any other family from having to go through this,” the Lily Strong Facebook page reads.
“Please wear nose plugs, if you insist on swimming in warm freshwater. If your child starts showing symptoms and has recently been swimming in freshwater, tell your doctor! The quicker they get treatment, the better.”
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