HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA — Health officials in Florida issued a warning on July 4 after a person was infected by a rare brain-eating amoeba.
An unidentified person in Hillsborough County was confirmed to have been infected with Naegleria fowleri, the BBC reports.
The amoeba typically lives in warm freshwater and in rare cases infects humans through contaminated water that enters the nose.
According to the Florida Department of Health, Naegleria fowleri can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis, an infection that resembles both meningitis and encephalitis.
Symptoms start around five days after infection.
They can include headache and a stiff neck, fever, nausea, and vomiting.
Most of those infected die within a week.