TRAGIC

7-year old California Boy Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba After Lake Swim

There have only been seven cases of deadly infection in California since 1971.

A California boy has died from brain-eating amoeba, NBC News reported. David Pruitt, 7, was swimming in a freshwater lake when on July 30 before he was hospitalized and ultimately put on life support for severe brain swelling. Although cases are extremely rare, Pruitt’s family has urged others to be aware of the symptoms of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, the illness that proved to fatal for Pruitt. California has only seen 10 cases of the amoeba since 1971. Symptoms include nausea, headache, fever and vomiting. “He is now in the loving arms of our Lord and family members who have passed before him,” Pruitt’s family wrote on a GoFundMe. “We are rejoicing in knowing he is no longer in pain and in the best of care.”