Brain-Eating Amoeba Kills Arizona Boy - CDC: Cases Are Spiking In 2007(warren ellis)
PHOENIX -- A 14-year-old Lake Havasu boy has become the sixth victim to die nationwide this year of a microscopic organism that attacks the body through the nasal cavity, quickly eating its way to the brain.
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"This is a heat-loving amoeba. As water temperatures go up, it does better," Beach said. "In future decades, as temperatures rise, we'd expect to see more cases."
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The amoeba destroys tissue as it makes its way up to the brain.
People who are infected tend to complain of a stiff neck, headaches and fevers, Beach said. In the later stages, they'll show signs of brain damage such as hallucinations and behavioral changes.
Once infected, most people have little chance of survival. Some drugs have been effective stopping the amoeba in lab experiments, but people who have been attacked rarely survive, Beach said.
"Usually, from initial exposure it's fatal within two weeks," Beach said.
Researchers still have much to learn about Naegleria, Beach said. For example, it seems that children are more likely to get infected, and boys are infected more often than girls. Experts don't know why.
Six schoolboys took viagra during school hours, and were somehow caught. How could they tell these boys apart from any other 13-year-old? I thought persistent priapism is normal during that age, right?
"In future decades, as temperatures rise, we'd expect to see more cases."
ReplyDeleteI love that all science stories have be related to global warming in some way now.
"Newton sought shade under an apple tree, where a falling apple led to a great insight about gravity. Many more great insights are expected in future decades, as more physicists are forced to seek shade under a variety of fruit trees due to global warming."
You LOL'd me.
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