Brain-Eating Amoeba Claims Second Swimmer's Life

Health officials say a child likely died from a rare infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba after swimming in the Elkhorn River in eastern Nebraska on Sunday. If confirmed, it would be the second death in the Midwest this summer from primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a usually fatal infection caused by the naegleria fowleri amoeba. The Douglas County Department of Health reported the child's death and the probable cause Wednesday. He has been identified as eight-year-old Easton Gray. Researchers believe climate change may be contributing to an increase in infections since 2000. Health officials say a Missouri resident died in July after likely ingesting the amoeba at a southwestern Iowa lake. Health officials in Douglas County are urging residents to be cautious in freshwater with the amoeba likely in the area.