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.
Brain-Eating Amoeba Claims Second Swimmer's Life
![The amoebas that can cause rare brain infections resemble white blood cells under the microscope.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6d4c934/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1377+0+0/resize/880x606!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2016%2F08%2F26%2Fbraineatingamoeba_custom-f2cb641770d5d85a285df0c8cc261c1a5d538787.jpg)
CDC