Bacteria found in warm fresh water will kill you by climbing up your nose.
Summer is the perfect time to go for dip in the lake. It’s an activity that you have to approach with caution, however.
Depending on where you live, it could be a deadly adventure.
Warm fresh water, like that found in California, Florida or even Kansas in summertime, can be home to a brain-eating bacteria. If you haven’t heard of it yet, there’s a simple reason. Infections are rare. Naegleria fowleri, as the nasty attacker is named scientifically, lives in lakes and you need to get the stuff up your nose for it to do any damage.
Related: Cell Phones at Summer Camp: a New Challenge
If you dive in for a swim though, this isn’t hard to do. The bacteria wriggles up your nose to your brain, and once it’s there, it wreaks havoc.
How deadly is it? Here are the brutal stats. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1962 to 2014, 132 people became infected with this brain-eating bacteria. Shockingly, only 3 are known to have survived. Sounds like a horror movie. Kids have contracted this, and you won’t know you were exposed until you’re facing the dangerous illness full-frontal.
Scientists feel that the problem could get even worse with climbing temperatures and climate change.
What can you do to protect yourself? Stay far from warm fresh water, when it comes to cooling off. And spread the word to inform your friends and family- you just might save a life.
Photo credits: Bigstock.com
