A city in the state of Texas has issued a disaster declaration last weekend after a brain-eating amoeba was found in their city’s water supply. The microbe was the cause of the death of a 6-year-old boy according to a report on Fox News.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality warned the Brazosport Water Authority that their water supply may be contaminated because Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba was found in water samples.
The city already placed a do not use water advisory in the area. The local government unit reminds residents not to use water for drinking but only for flushing toilets.
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Some of the communities however lifted the ‘do not use water’ advisory but said that residents should boil their water instead.
“TCEQ and city officials are actively working on a plan to flush and disinfect the water system. Until the flushing and disinfection process is complete, the city remains under the boil notice,” the agency said in a statement.
“During this period of disinfection and flushing, boiling the tap water makes it safe for drinking and cooking,” the statement added.
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The city is home to 27,000 residents. Its water source comes from the Brazos River. It was unclear how long it would be before the tap water was again safe.
The six-year-old boy identified as Josiah McIntyre died early this month after contracting the brain-eating amoeba. His mother said that the kid suffered from vomiting, fever and had trouble speaking.
“It was weird because he had never complained of a headache before,” the mother said. The boy died on September 8.
