A WOMAN in the US died after using non-boiled tap water for a nasal flush.
The culprit was brain infection due to Naegleria fowleri amoeba, which was suspected to have come from the water supply of her motorhome.
The 71-year-old developed severe neurological symptoms, including fever, headache, altered mental status and seizures, four days after using a sinus flush squirt bottle filled with untreated water from the motorhome tap.
Despite receiving medical treatment for what was suspected to be amoebic meningoencephalitis infection, she died eight days after symptom onset.
The amoeba is found in warm freshwater, and can get to the brain after entering the nose when swimming in dams, lakes, and poorly maintained swimming pools, when water skiiing or, as in this case, being used in a nasal flush.
The amoebae travel up the nose to the brain where they infect and destroy brain tissue.
The US woman had bought her motorhome three months earlier, and was using the water that was in the tank when she got it - plenty of time for the little critters to multiply.
The doctors who treated her said the case reinforces the potential for serious health risks associated with improper use of nasal irrigation devices, and recommended distilled, sterilised, or boiled and cooled tap water be used.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 06 Jun 25
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