2y ago

2-year-old Nevada boy dies from brain-eating amoeba after visit to hot spring

www.nbcnews.com

The infection, caused by the ameba Naegleria fowleri, is rare and almost always fatal, according to health officials.

53 comments

Couple things because I've delved into this myself a good bit — especially having what I view as a close call doing water-sports at a very warm lake that has a history of deaths from this very thing (cue a week's worth of paranoia....)
Despite it being "always fatal," we don't really know how often it's encountered and that our immune-system is able to get rid of it. (Nobody voluntarily gets it; nobody goes to the ER that isn't sick for the very specific symptoms it presents as).
It has to get very far up your nose and is usually from kicked-up sediment.
Regarding Nasal Irrigation/Neti pot Risk: be sure to use distilled water. Also some bonus information I've written up previously regarding the benefits of nasal irrigation:
There have been many studies showing its effectiveness in reducing the duration and severity of both the common cold, as well as reducing the chance of hospitalization from covid 8x if done twice a day.
(BONUS: Gargling saltwater in tandem can also be effective — perhaps not so much with coronavirus, but with the common cold, etc.)
That's not even saying anything about the benefits to those with allergies...
Pro tips for those wanting to do more nasal irrigation:
Do yourself a favor and get a nasal irrigation syringe instead of the pot. Much more control and a little pressure when needed.
Get the pre-made saline packets to ensure the dosage is appropriate and balanced to not burn.
Use distilled water only
Routinely sterilize your nasal irrigator in boiling water.
Look into using J&J Baby Shampoo in 1% solution if you need something stronger for a high-risk infection.
If not using it regularly, consider using the nasal-irrigation immediately after being in a "high-risk" environment such as an indoor area with many people tightly packed and at risk of being sick. It will flush your initial viral load and improve your odds of purging the infection before it starts.
- I swear I haven't gotten any kind of viral infection since I started doing daily sinus rinses. And my head aches are gone!
This is why you shouldn't submerge your head in hot springs. Naegleria fowleri needs to go into your nose to infect you.
That is heartbreaking
- More like brain-breaking
- I have no stake in this game, but I think you're exaggerating.
  First, not everything in OP's post history is negative. There are actually a few very positive stories in there.
  Second, the community is called news, not good news. And unfortunately, bad news travel faster and reach further than good news.
  And finally, I've come across most of those headlines while scrolling around my feed, ~~which means that the news community would be quite dead~~ (Edit:) which means the news community would be less active if it weren't for the contributions of OP. Help tip the balance, then!
  Edit: I re-checked and there are other active contributors in the news community, so I take back my "community being dead otherwise" comment.
  
  There are actually a few very positive stories in there.
  An exception does not make the rule. It only strengthens it.
  And unfortunately, bad news travel faster and reach further than good news.
  This is no excuse to look for gems like the one we're discussing under, and bring them to public attention. People die everywhere, each day. It's a harsh truth and it won't change. But it does not mean that everyone's feed should be polluted by all those cherrypicked murders, kidnappings, abuse, violation that concerns people whose we didn't know just a moment ago.
  ...and whose pain and suffering still resonates with our own emotions.
  Help tip the balance, then!
  I do. By not joining the parade of misery and directing my efforts at less toxic communities. And also by stigmatizing the toxic behavior as wrong.
- Wake up babe, new Lemmy copypasta just dropped
- Because ignoring all the bad stuff makes it go away /s
  Maybe take a look in the mirror and realize your toxic positivity.
  
  There are a million tragic stories everyday. We ignore 999,999. Why focus on something so negative that we can't change, all we can do is feel sad?
  
  Because ignoring all the bad stuff makes it go away
  Yes.
  In your case it will make 0,0000001% of negativity gone with no loss of anything valuable. It's a win-win situation. It's worth it.
  And with that I bid you farewell, with the final suggestion to heal yourself, if you're so empathetic about people, yo.
- bro what
- darkest dungeon plague doctor avatar...
- mama mia...
  
  Here I go again...

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