Missouri Brain-Eating Amoeba Case Linked to Lake of the Ozarks

A Missouri resident is clinging to life in a St. Louis ICU after what doctors are calling a “one-in-a-million” infection: a brain-eating amoeba, likely picked up during a sunny day of water-skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks. It all happened fast. One week, he was out on the water with friends; the next, he was fighting for every breath.

“Recreational water users should assume that Naegleria fowleri is present in warm freshwater across the United States; however, infection remains very rare,” the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services stated. As of now, no other cases are suspected.

Preliminary details point to water-skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks as the likely source. The amoeba, common in warm freshwater, becomes dangerous only if water enters the nose. “People usually start to feel ill one to 12 days after water exposure,” Dr. Tammy Lundstrom, an infectious disease specialist, told Fox News Digital. Early symptoms are easy to miss—headache, nausea, fever, maybe some vomiting.

Then things get worse, fast. Confusion, stiff neck, hallucinations, seizures, even coma. The CDC says only 167 cases have been reported in the U.S. between 1962 and 2024. A sobering number: fewer than ten people in the country get PAM each year.

Officials are urging caution, not fear. “Hold your nose shut, use nose clips or keep your head above water when taking part in activities in bodies of warm freshwater, especially if you jump or dive into the water,” Missouri health officials advised.

–Metro Voice