Louisiana Reports Brain-Eating Amoeba in Tap Water on October 30: A Fatal Case in Homer, with Spread to Other Towns
In Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Health reminded residents on October 30 not to use tap water with nasal rinsing devices or contact lenses, after 10 rare Acanthamoeba infections were identified in the state since 2024.
State Epidemiologist Theresa Sokol said drinking tap water is not considered a risk for Acanthamoeba infection, but tap water should not be used for nasal rinsing or to clean or store contact lenses.
Of the 10 infections, eight were Acanthamoeba keratitis, an eye infection that can affect otherwise healthy people and cause permanent vision loss; seven occurred in contact lens wearers and five resulted in permanent vision loss. Two serious infections identified in 2026 — one affecting the sinuses and one involving the brain, which was fatal — were in patients with weakened immune systems who reported using tap water in nasal irrigation devices.
The department has issued a health advisory to medical facilities statewide to raise awareness and early recognition, and reminds contact lens wearers to always use contact lens solution rather than tap water.
Source: GSM America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：路易斯安那州议会大厦（巴吞鲁日）。bluepoint951摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Photo by bluepoint951, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
