A 12-year-old boy is being treated in the intensive care unit at Miami Children’s Hospital after contracting an infection that is attacking his brain, USA Today reports.  The infection came from Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that causes potentially fatal brain infections. Naegleria fowleri is a single-celled organism that is usually found in freshwater lakes, rivers, and ponds, but family members have reported that the boy, Zachary Reyna, contracted the infection after knee boarding in a ditch near his LaBelle house on August 3.

According to CBS News, the infection has caused primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).  Typically fatal, PAM is caused by Naegleria fowleri, but can be clinically indistinguishable from acute bacterial meningitis, reports Medscape.  Symptoms include high fever, headache, photophobia, stiff neck, nausea, and vomiting, with onset anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days after exposure.  Approximately three percent of reported cases have survived.

Health officials still have not confirmed the source of Reyna’s infection.  The friends with whom he was playing did not get sick.  Currently, Florida officials are asking people to remain vigilant by avoiding swimming, jumping, or diving in fresh water when water levels are low and the temperature is high.  They also ask that people do not stir up the dirt or sand at the bottom of shallow sections of water.  When swimming, pinching the nose or keeping the head above water can also minimize the risk of exposure.  Finally, for people that are using nasal irrigation, water should be boiled or distilled water should be used.

CNN reports that, a few weeks ago, a 12-year-old girl in Arkansas was also infected.  She has since been moved out of intensive care.  Her mother reports that she is now able to sign her own name, but cannot talk due to a sore throat from the breathing tube and general medication-induced fatigue.  Her case is giving Reyna’s family hope that he will be able to survive.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report 128 known infected individuals in the U.S. between 1962 and 2012.  The CDC confirms that it is a very rare infection, with exposure only from the amoeba entering the body through the nose.  There are no known cases of infection as a result of drinking contaminated water.  The infection also cannot be spread from one person to another.  The CDC provides similar advice as the Florida officials for prevention.  Given the high fatality rate, prevention is the best option.