Monday, August 27 2012 8:23 PM EDT2012-08-28 00:23:10 GMT
Health officials have closed Lily Lake to swimmers until further notice while the Minnesota Department of Health investigates the death of an elementary school-aged child.
Health officials have closed Lily Lake to swimmers until further notice while the Minnesota Department of Health investigates the death of an 9-year-old boy.
STILLWATER, Minn. (KMSP) -
Tests confirm that an amebic infection is what killed a 9-year-old boy days after he went swimming in a popular lake in Stillwater.
Jack Ariola Erenberg died suddenly last week. On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the Minnesota Department of Health's suspicion that an amoeba caused a rare form of meningitis.
Lily Lake remains closed to swimmers for now.
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis, also known as PAM, is an extremely rare illness caused by an organism known as Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba that is commonly found in warm freshwater and soil across the world.
It infects humans by entering through the nose -- usually while swimming or diving, and it causes a severe brain infection that is nearly always fatal.
Swimmers can take the following precautions to protect themselves during heat waves:
Keep your head above water
Use nose clips or hold your nose shut when submerged
