A few weeks ago, I came across a heartbreaking news story about a 6-year-old boy from Texas who died after contracting a rare amoeba called Naegleria fowleri from the local water supply.
Naegleria fowleri can cause a rare, and usually fatal (fatality rate of more than 97%), infection in the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC notes the infection occurs when contaminated water enters the body through the nose; people cannot be infected by swallowing water contaminated with Naegleria.