A brain-eating amoeba infection killed a 2-year-old boy after he visited a Nevada hot spring, officials say

• A two-year-old boy died from a brain-eating amoeba infection last week in Nevada, authorities said.
• He was likely infected during a visit to a hot spring, officials added.
• Infections from the amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, are extremely rare but almost always fatal.

A two-year-old died from a brain-eating amoeba infection after visiting a hot spring in Nevada with his family, authorities announced on Thursday.

Woodrow Turner Bundy’s mother said that he died last Wednesday after a weeklong fight with the infection, caused by an amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri.

“It came on real fast,” Bailey Logue, the boy’s aunt, told Fox 5 Vegas. “Flu-like symptoms, fever – just like any other little sickness that a little boy might get.”

State public health officials, who did not name the boy, said it was possible he picked up the infection at Ash Springs, a natural hot spring in Lincoln County, Nevada.

The amoeba can dwell in soil and warm freshwater such as lakes and hot springs, and has been found predominantly in southern states in the US.

An infection can occur when it enters the body via the nose and travels to the brain.  

Naegleria fowleri infections are extremely rare. According to the CDC, as of 2022 there had only ever been 157 recorded infections. But they are almost always fatal, although in one recent case a 14-year-old boy survived.

A family tribute described Bundy as a boisterous, active little boy who “loved life” and “loved his family with every ounce of his soul.”

“Woodrow’s life was a testament of how we should all live,” the tribute continued. “He did everything aggressively. He loved hard, sometimes too hard. He found joy and wonder in all of God’s creations and beauties.”

The number of locations where the naegleria fowleri amoeba can thrive are thought to be increasing with warming temperatures. In one 2021 incident, a boy was infected after he visited a public splash pad in Texas. 

Symptoms of the infection can start with a headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting, and progress to a stiff neck. Patients can ultimately experience seizures, hallucinations and can fall into a coma, per the CDC.

The CDC recommends avoiding water-related activities in warm freshwater during periods of high water temperatures.

It also recommends the use of nose clips or keeping your head above water in warm freshwater and avoiding digging up sediment, where the amoeba are more likely to live.