A 10-year-old Texas girl died after she contracted a brain-eating amoeba eight days after she went for a swim. Unbeknownst to anyone, the waters in which the child swam in was infected by the Naegleria fowleri, colloquially known as the brain-eating amoeba. The girl Lily Mae Avant fell ill and was taken to the hospital, where the doctors termed her illness as a viral infection. But gradually, her condition worsened and she became unresponsive. After a week-long battle with the illness, the child breathed her last on Monday, September 16.

According to reports, Lily Mae swam at the Brazos River and Lake Whitney in Texas during a Labor Day trip. When her health started taking a turn for the worse, doctors conducted a spinal tap. It was then confirmed that she wasn’t suffering from a regular viral fever but had contracted Naegleria fowleri. Brain-Eating Amoeba Kills US Swimmer: What Is Naegleria Fowleri? Know the Symptoms.

The school where Lily Mae studied, Valley Mills Elementary School, confirmed her demise on their Facebook page. They added that she was deeply saddened by the loss of the child, and that she was an outstanding student and an incredible person.

What Is Brain-Eating Amoeba or Naegleria Fowleri?

Naegleria fowleri, otherwise known as the brain-eating amoeba, is a microscopic, single-celled organism. Although rare, the infection caused by the amoeba can be devastating. It infects people who come in contact with contaminated water. If the pathogen enters the body through the nose, it can travel up to the brain causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which is potentially fatal. Man Dies After He Inhales Deadly Brain-Eating Amoeba at a Water Park.

Untreated water in natural bodies such as lakes, ponds, rivers and oceans usually harbour the deadly pathogen. Although the risk is low, under chlorinated swimming pools can also contain the pathogen.

Symptoms of Naegleria fowleri infection include fever, headaches, lethargy, nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness, photophobia, seizures and cranial nerve abnormalities.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 18, 2019 02:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).