CALL TO BE ALERT AROUND WARM FRESH WATER AFTER A CHILD POSSIBLY DIED FROM BRAIN EATING AMOEBA. GOOD EVENING. I’M BILL SHAMMERS. I’M JULIE CORNELL THE DOUGLAS COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS THE CHILD LIKELY BECAME INFECTED WHILE SWIMMING IN THE ELKHORN RIVER ON AUGUST 8TH 10 DAYS AGO SAY THE ILLNESS MOVES QUICKLY AND THE CHILD DIED JUST DAYS LATER JAVIER NEWS WATCH SEVENS. ALEX MCCLUNE IS LIVE ALONG THE RIVER TONIGHT WITH MORE FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ALEX. BILL JULIE COUNTY HEALTH OFFICIALS BELIEVE THAT CHILD CONTRACTED THIS ORGANISM BY SWIMMING IN A SHALLOW PART OF THE RIVER HERE NEAR VALLEY AND NOW HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE EMPHASIZING PRECAUTIONS SAYING THE AMOEBA IS HERE. WHILE A VERY RARE TYPE OF EVENT IT’S QUITE TRAGIC HEALTH DIRECTOR, DR. LINDSEY HUGH SAYS THE CDC IS IN POSSESSION OF TESTS TO FURTHER CONFIRM IF NIGERIA FOWLERI BETTER KNOWN AS BRAIN EATING AMOEBA POSSIBLY KILLED A CHILD WHO SWAM IN THE ELKHORN RIVER AUGUST 8TH. HUGHES SAYS THE CHILD FELT SYMPTOMS FIVE DAYS LATER WENT TO THE HOSPITAL TWO DAYS AFTER EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS. THEN DIED, AUGUST 17TH. I THINK THIS IS AN ISSUE FOR ANYBODY. WATER THAT IS GETTING WARM UNMC AND CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL DR. CARRIE. NIEMANN SAYS DROUGHT CONDITIONS WARMING BODIES OF FRESH WATER PLAYED A PART DOUGLAS COUNTY INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT JUSTIN FREDERICK SAYS THE NATIONAL WATER INFORMATION SYSTEM MEASURED THE RIVER THREE TO FIVE MILES FROM THE SUSPECTED SITE NEAR VALLEY WHICH READ BETWEEN 86 TO 92 DEGREES. NOT EVERYBODY OF WATER IS IS GOING TO BE THAT WARM. BUT NEBRASKA WE ARE CURRENTLY OF SEEING A DROUGHT AND YOU KNOW HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE SWIM EVERY YEAR LIKE DR. HUGHES SAID AND THIS IS STILL VERY RARE OCCURRENCE AS WATER WASHES DOWN THE ELKHORN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS IT ISN’T PLANNING TO SHUT ANYTHING DOWN AT THE RIVER. WE JUST WANT PEOPLE TO BE AWARE THAT THERE IS A RISK EVEN A SMALL ONE. THE HEALTH DIRECTOR SAYS IT’S ALSO VERY POSSIBLE A NUMBER OF OTHER PEOPLE SWIMMING IN THE AREA ALSO COULD HAVE COME INTO CONTACT WITH THIS AMOEBA AND NOT BEEN INFECTED HEALTHDIRECTOR, DR. LINDSEY HUGHES SAYS, THIS IS A VERY UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT FOR THE CHILD AND THEIR FAMILY. LIVE AT THE ELKHORN RIVER ALEX MCLOONE KETV NEWS WATCH 7 ALEX THANK YOU A CLOSER. LOOK AT HOW WATER TEMPERATURE PLAYS A PART IN HOW THE AMOEBA DEVELOPS DR. NEIMAN AT UNMC SAYS THE ORGANISM IS PRESENT IN MOST FRESH WATER. BUT ONCE THE WATER REACHES THE MID 80S IT TRANSFORMS AND CAN THEN CAUSE AN INFECTION DR. NEIMAN SAYS IT’S MORE COMMON WHILE SPLASHING AND WARM SHALLOW WATER RATHER THAN DEEP. COOL WATER WHERE SOMEONE MAY BOAT SKI OR TWO STILL SHE SAYS AN INFECTION IS VERY RARE. ONE NUMBER THAT I’VE SEEN AS A STATISTIC IS THAT THERE’S PROBABLY ABOUT 2.6 CASES FOR EVERY MILLION EXPOSURE OPPORTUNITIES. SO EVERY TIME SOMEONE HAS ONE OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, FRESH WATER INTO THE NOSE. YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF FROM INFECTION BY PLUGGING YOUR NOSE IF YOU GO UNDERWATER, BUT AGAIN INFECTION IS RARE ACCORDING TO DR. NEIMAN. THERE’S ON AVERAGE