Overview

• A Missouri adult is in intensive care with a lab-confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection, known as the brain-eating amoeba.
• State health officials say preliminary information links the patient’s illness to water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks days before symptoms emerged.
• The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reports no other suspected Naegleria fowleri cases are under investigation in the state.
• Only three Missouri cases have been confirmed since 1962, and of the roughly 167 U.S. infections recorded through 2024, fewer than five people have survived.
• Health authorities warn that positive diagnosis requires specialized lab tests available at only a few U.S. facilities and urge swimmers to hold their nose, use nose clips or sterile water for nasal rinses to prevent infections.