Boy, 14, contracts brain-eating amoeba infection after swimming in Minnesota lake
- Hunter Boutain is in critical condition at University of Minnesota Medical Center where he is being treated for primary amebic meningoencephalitis
- Disease is caused by an amoeba called Naegleria fowleri commonly found in warm freshwater lakes
- Boutain contracted PAM after swimming in Minnewaska Lake
A 14-year-old boy has contracted a potentially deadly brain infection caused by an amoeba after swimming in a Minnesota lake over the weekend.
Hunter Boutain, of Alexandria, was listed in critical condition at the University of Minnesota Medical Center Wednesday.
The teen’s uncle, Bryan Boutain, released a statement to the press thanking people for their support and asking everyone to continue praying for his nephew as he fights for his life.
Hunter Boutain (left and right) was listed in critical condition Wednesday after contracting a rare brain infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis, which is caused by an amoeba
Boutain has contracted PAM after swimming in Minnewaska Lake in Pope County
The boy (right) is said to be currently unresponsive and breathing with the help of a respirator
The Minnesota Health Department said Boutain was swimming in Lake Minnewaska in Pope County when he contracted a rare brain infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM.
The disease is caused by an amoeba called Naegleria fowleri, which is commonly found in warm freshwater lakes.
A swimmer can come down with the ailment if he or she inhales contaminated water through the nose.
The infection is often lethal but it cannot be transmitted from one person to another.
City officials briefly closed the beaches on the lake Tuesday night, but they have since reopened, reported Echo Press.
Initial symptoms of PAM, which include headache, fever, vomiting and stiff neck, appear about five days after exposure.
As the illness progresses, patients may become confused, suffer seizures and hallucinations.
Most PAM cases end in death within five days.
Bryan Boutain wrote on a CaringBridge page set up by the family that his 14-year-old nephew was unresponsive and breathing with the help of a respirator, reported Minneapolis Star Tribune.
‘We are praying for a miracle for this rascal,’ the uncle wrote.
Experts say that in order to reduce the risk of contracting the infection, people swimming in freshwater areas should keep their head out of the water, use nose clips and avoid kicking up sediment.
Between 2001 and 2011, 40 cases of PAM were reported in the US, two of them in Minnesota.
A 7-year-old girl died from the infection after taking a dip in Lily Lake in 2010. Two years later, a 9-year-old boy succumbed to the illness after becoming exposed to the brain-eating amoeba in the same body of water.
The rare brain infection PAM is caused by an amoeba called Naegleria fowleri (pictured), which is commonly found in warm freshwater lakes
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