Columbia, S.C.Jaysen Carr was killed by an amoeba that dwells in the warm water and got into his brain through his nose two weeks after he spent the Fourth of July swimming and boating on one of South Carolina’s most well-known lakes.
His parents were unaware that Lake Murray, which is only 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Columbia, was home to the brain-eating amoeba, scientifically known as Naegleria fowleri.
Suggested Videos
When what appeared to be a fairly normal headache and nausea took a serious turn, a doctor broke down in tears and informed them of the diagnosis.
In the last 60 years, the amoeba has killed roughly 160 people in the United States, including 12-year-old Jaysen, who fought for a week before passing away on July 18.
The boy’s parents, who are grieving for their son, said they were shocked to discover that, like the majority of U.S. states, South Carolina does not have a legislation mandating the public to be informed of amoeba infections or deaths. No water testing was done, and the lake remained open. They question if anyone would have even been aware of what had occurred if they hadn’t spoken up.
The fact that we are without our son is unbelievable. He lost his life as a result of being a child. I don’t like that. As his wife sat next to him, holding a toy tiger that contained a recording of their middle child’s heartbeat, Clarence Carr told The Associated Press, “And I am afraid it will happen to someone else.”
The greatest Fourth of July celebration ever
Jaysen has a passion for sports. He was a baseball and football player. He also loved humans. According to his father, he became your friend the moment he met you. He was intelligent enough to play many instruments in his Columbia middle school band and to have skipped a grade in school.
According to his father, he either didn’t know you or loved you. He was the kind of person who could say, “This is my friend James,” after visiting a jumping park for five minutes.
Jaysen and his family were asked by friends to spend the Fourth of July holiday weekend on the lake, where they spent hours riding an inner tube pulled by a boat, swimming, and fishing.
Clarence Carr recalled his son telling him, “Mom and Dad, that was the best Fourth of July I’ve ever had.”
A headache gets worse all of a sudden.
Jaysen’s head began to ache a few days later. Painkillers were helpful. However, he began throwing up the following day as his headache worsened. He described the precise location of his pain to the emergency room physicians. However, he soon became confused and sluggish.
Already infected and damaging brain tissue, the amoeba was in his brain. Water from one of Jaysen’s jumps into the water may have driven the water deep into his nasal passages, allowing it to enter via his nose. It subsequently made its way into his brain via his olfactory nerve.
The infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis was brought on by the amoeba. In the United States, fewer than 10 persons are affected annually, and more than 95% of them pass away. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the last time an amoeba-related mortality occurred in South Carolina was in 2016.
The amoeba is quite widespread. The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services stated in a statement that it would be challenging to do routine water testing and that there is no scientifically based threshold for what concentration of the organism in the water would be acceptable or unsafe.
Why the infections are so uncommon is still a mystery to researchers. Antibodies have been detected in some individuals, suggesting that they may have survived exposure. Without the amoeba ever being discovered, others may pass away from brain edema and other issues.
The CDC began a pilot program last year to administer an antibiotic that has been licensed for use in Europe to infected individuals, which has been shown in lab experiments to kill the amoeba.
Warm water contains amoeba, and the infection is nearly always lethal.
The amoeba, which has been observed almost exclusively in the summer months in the southern region of the country for years, becomes hazardous in water that remains above 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius). However, according to scientists, a few new cases have surfaced in Minnesota, Indiana, and Maryland.
According to the CDC, only four persons have survived out of the 167 cases of the virus that have been reported in the United States between 1962 and 2024.
According to the CDC, an illness in one body of water does not raise the likelihood of another infection in the same body of water. The amoeba is unable to transfer between people.
Although boys appear to be the most vulnerable, scientists are unsure if this is just because they are more inclined to play with lake bottom silt or jump and dive into the water.
Rarely, the amoeba can be found in tap water, rivers, and hot springs. For this reason, doctors advise using sterile water and a neti pot to clear the nasal passages.
Avoiding swimming in lakes or rivers and, if you do, keeping your head above the water are the only ways to be absolutely safe. When diving or swimming, you can prevent water from getting into your nose by pinching it or using nose clips.
Parents want others to be aware of the brain-eating amoeba’s risk.
Clarence Carr was thinking about everyone on the lake while he sat with his son in a critical care unit.
He questioned whether any of them were aware of the minuscule threat in that water.
He claimed that whole families were jumping off pontoon boats, just as our children were having a great time. They may not even be aware that these are their final moments.
