North Carolina teenager dies after rare amoeba infection
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
North Carolina health officials have confirmed that 18-year-old Moises Ponce Mendoza, previously unidentified, is the teenager who died after contracting the rare brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri, following an online fundraiser in which his mother named him and appealed for support. The state's health department, which had earlier described the patient only as "critically ill," said it is now investigating the source of the infection, while urging residents to take precautions when swimming in warm freshwater during summer months.
Moises's mother, Monica Mendoza, said she first took him to a hospital in Burlington with severe headaches but was sent home after a brief examination, only for his condition to worsen rapidly overnight. He was diagnosed the next morning at the University of North Carolina's emergency department, fell into a coma, and later died; his brother Elmer paid tribute to him on social media, calling him "a real fighter." Naegleria fowleri lives in warm freshwater, thrives at around 115°F (46°C), and is fatal only if forced up the nose into the brain, with symptoms progressing from headache and fever to seizures and coma, often within days.
- Victim named as 18-year-old Moises Ponce Mendoza after death confirmed.
- Health officials now investigating the source of his infection.
- Mother says first hospital visit failed to diagnose the amoeba.
New here? Start with this
Officials in North Carolina have identified an 18-year-old, Moises Ponce Mendoza, as the teenager who died from an infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a rare amoeba found in warm freshwater such as lakes and rivers. He had not previously been named by health authorities, who had only described him as critically ill; his identity emerged after his mother launched an online fundraiser and appealed for support. Health officials are now investigating how he came to be infected.
Naegleria fowleri infections are extremely rare but almost always fatal, and can only occur if contaminated water is forced up the nose, allowing the amoeba to reach the brain. It is not caught by drinking water, and cannot spread between people. Symptoms typically begin with headache and fever before rapidly progressing to seizures and coma, often within days, which is why swift diagnosis is difficult and outcomes are usually poor.
The case has drawn attention partly because of how quickly Moises's condition deteriorated after he was initially sent home from hospital, and because health officials are using it to renew warnings about water safety during warm summer months, when the amoeba is most active.
More coverage
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Daily Mail as “Boy dies from brain-eating amoeba after being sent home from North Carolina hospital untreated”.