(ABC) – A ‘Do-Not-Use’ water advisory sent to thousands of customers late Friday night has been narrowed to the city of Lake Jackson over concerns about the presence of a brain-eating amoeba in the water supply. The amoeba, known as naegleria fowleri, prompted the advisory Friday, which initially impacted customers of the Brazosport Water Authority.
TCEQ later said that Brazosport’s water was safe. The advisory continued for Lake Jackson residents and means they should not use water for anything but flushing toilets, including drinking, bathing, or cooking. The CDC says Naegleria fowleri typically affects people when the contaminated water enters their body through their nose.
It can travel to the brain and cause a condition known as amebic meningoencephalitis, a rare but highly lethal disease, according to health experts. The CDC said people cannot get infected from swallowing water contaminated with Naegleria fowleri. Symptoms of the illness include headaches, vomiting, fever, and becoming disoriented.
The amoeba was suspected in the local water supply after 6-year-old Josiah McIntyre died Sept. 8, Lake Jackson City Manager Modesto Mundo said. Three water samples out of 11 taken tested positive for genetic material related to naegleria fowleri, including a test of a water hose bib at McIntyre’s home. READ MORE
