Overview

• State officials confirmed that 12-year-old Jaysen Carr died July 18 from a Naegleria fowleri infection contracted during a July Fourth swim at Lake Murray, the first case in South Carolina since 2016
• In a news conference, Carr’s parents demanded that state law require immediate reporting of brain-eating amoeba infections and trigger lake testing when water temperatures exceed safe levels
• South Carolina currently lacks laws mandating notification of Naegleria fowleri cases or closure and testing of inland lakes following suspected infections
• Health authorities have reiterated CDC guidance—such as using nose clips, keeping heads above water and using sterile water for nasal rinses—and say they are monitoring freshwater conditions
• Experts warn that warming lakes driven by climate change may expand the amoeba’s habitat, increasing the risk of these nearly always fatal infections