A potentially deadly brain-eating amoeba has been discovered in the St. Bernard Parish Water System that serves more than 44,000 people, and the system is being purified, state health officials tell The Associated Press.
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals notified the water system and parish officials Wednesday evening. Olivia Hwang, a DHH spokeswoman, says the health department asked the water system to conduct a 60-day chlorine burn to ensure any remnants of the amoeba infestation are eliminated from the system. The chlorine burn will help reduce biofilm, or organic buildup, throughout the water system and will kill the invading microbes.
Parish President Dave Peralta told the state the burn “may not be necessary, but out of an abundance of caution we’re going to do it.” He says the burn started at 6 a.m. today.
No cases of infection have been reported.
It’s the second time in two years the Naegleria fowleri amoeba has been found in the water system. Peralta says the problem was found at a leaking sampling station, in a coupling that comes off a main water line. Officials don’t know when the line was damaged.
Naegleria fowleri occurs naturally in fresh water. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Naegleria fowleri infects people when water containing the microbes enters the body through the nose. It usually happens when they go swimming or diving in warm fresh water. It travels up the nasal tissues to the brain.
Hwang says the tap water in St. Bernard Parish is safe for residents to drink, but DHH is urging residents to avoid getting water in their noses.
