A woman died after contracting a rare brain infection from using tap water to clear sinuses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The 71-year-old woman was at a campground in Texas when she used tap water in a nasal rinse to clear her sinuses, the CDC said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published May 29.
The woman, who was otherwise healthy, developed “severe neurologic symptoms, including fever, headache, and altered mental status,” within four days, according to the report.
She was treated for primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare brain infection that’s often fatal. It’s caused by the free-living ameba, Naegleria fowleri, the report said.
Eight days later, the woman died. Lab results showed the presence of Naegleria fowleri in her ce