CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida man died from a brain-eating amoeba likely contracted from a sinus rinse using tap water, according to multiple reports.
In a Feb. 23 release, the Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County confirmed one case of Naegleria fowleri "possibly as a result of sinus rinse practices utilizing tap water."
Health officials from Charlotte County said they're continuing to investigate how exactly this infection occurred. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Naegleria fowleri infections are rare, and infections spread through tap water are even more uncommon.
The single-celled organism infects people when water enters the body through the nose, usually while swimming in warm freshwater lakes and rivers, the CDC said. You can't get infected with the brain-eating amoeba by drinking contaminated water.
The CDC confirmed it was assisting in the investigation in a letter obtained by WFTX-TV.
"This is the first reported case of Naegleria fowleri infection in the United States this year, and the first ever reported in winter months in the United States," it reads. "Most cases occur in southern-tier states during the summer, but evidence suggests that the geographical areas where Naegleria fowleri infections occur in the United States are changing, possibly due to climate change."
Health officials said anyone who irritates, flushes or rinses their sinuses should use distilled water or tap water that has been boiled and cooled.
According to the CDC, infections are rare but often deadly. Of 154 people infected with the amoeba between 1962 to 2021 in the U.S., only four have survived, the agency reports.
An easy preventative step you can take to prevent water from going up your nose is to wear a nose clip and encourage your kids to do the same. Learn more about lowering your chances of brain-eating amoeba infection on the CDC website.