A 33-year-old wakeboard instructor is the first recorded fatal victim in Yucatán from an infection with Naegleria fowleri, better known as the brain-eating amoeba. The state government has confirmed the presence of this organism in an artificial lake inside a shopping center in Mérida, where the victim worked, and has isolated the area until its origin is clarified and it is completely eliminated from the body of water. “The Government of Yucatán will investigate the compliance of the companies responsible for the maintenance and water quality of that lake. It will act with the full force of the law and with strict adherence to the law. Anyone who has violated health regulations will be sanctioned. The health of the people of Yucatán comes first,” they warned in a statement this Monday. Infection by the amoeba causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis, an extremely rare disease that is fatal in 97% of cases.
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The amoeba is contained in the lake, which is not connected to other recreational areas nor to the state’s drinking water network, according to authorities. “There is no risk to the population of Yucatán,” the document assures. For now, the area has been closed and access restricted, as well as the cessation of aquatic activities that were carried out there. “The verification report will be forwarded to the area of rulings and resolutions to determine the corresponding administrative measures,” the state government has promised.
Infection by primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is caused by the parasitic amoeba invading the central nervous system of the human body, causing an acute and fulminant infection of which very few cases have been recorded, but which has a mortality rate between 97% and 98%. The amoeba, which lives in stagnant freshwater, can cause death in less than two weeks after first exposure. Its symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, fatigue, and vomiting. Because it is so unlikely to contract — there are around 400 recorded cases worldwide — infected people are slow to be diagnosed and the short reaction time to save them is fatally reduced.
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In the case of Carlos, the first documented victim in Yucatán, he worked exposed to the water where the presence of the amoeba has been confirmed. His friends and family have pointed on social media to the company Fornelos Wake Yucatán, where Carlos was an instructor. This company offers wakeboarding services on the artificial lake so that clients, tied to a cable and with a board on their feet, slide over the water and perform jumps and maneuvers on ramps for 700 Mexican pesos per hour. “He lost his life because of doing his job. Today it was confirmed that his medical tests and those of the lake water tested positive for the amoeba. An amoeba that, had precautions been taken, would not have been there and that puts at risk all the people who use this lake, many of them children,” says an acquaintance of the victim on Facebook.
For now, the Government of Yucatán has instructed the State Health Services to make a joint call to establishments with immersion activities to comply with regulations and keep their water quality studies up to date. “Health surveillance continues throughout the state,” they have warned. The company must demonstrate through laboratory tests that the lake water is suitable for recreational use for the authorities to lift the temporary closure measure. “The verification report will be forwarded to the area of rulings and resolutions to determine the corresponding administrative measures,” they have announced.
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