How To Survive A Brain-Eating Amoeba

05:46

August 25, 2016

Kali Hardig, 12, survivor of a rare brain infection that is almost always fatal, walks past a lake at Willow Springs Water Park near Little Rock, Ark., Monday, Oct. 7, 2013. (Danny Johnston/AP)

Over the course of this summer, a rash of strange deaths have happened across the United States.

A teenage girl in Ohio died in June after taking a whitewater rafting trip. Then a Texas lifeguard died in July. Earlier this month, an 11-year-old girl died after swimming in a river. Now, a swimmer is fighting for their life in Southern Florida.

All of these healthy young people have something in common: they fell ill after being in water, and in almost all cases, they’ve died incredibly quickly.

The killer? A rare, brain-eating amoeba.

Paige Pfleger from The Pulse at Here & Now contributor WHYY reports.

Reporter

Paige Pfleger, associate producer for WHYY's The Pulse. She tweets @PaigePfleger.

This segment aired on August 25, 2016.