‘Incredibly tragic’ boy dies of brain-eating amoeba in Douglas County
The Ministry of Health says that the child became infected after bathing. in Elkhorn river.
BEGINS WITH THE LATEST NEWS. ROB: WE START TODAY WITH A DESTROYING LOSS. WE LEARNED THIS BOY DIED FROM A SUSPECTED BRAIN-EATING AMEBA. GOOD EVENING. I’m ROB MCCARTNEY. JULIE: I’M JULIE CORNELL. EASTON GRAY WAS ONLY 8 YEARS OLD. HIS FAMILY GIVES US PERMISSION TO POST HIS NAME AND USE THIS IMAGE. ROB: EASTON LOVED TO SWIMMING AND HE DID THIS 10 DAYS AGO. IN THE ELKORN RIVER NEAR THE VALLEY. THIS IS WHEN THE DOCTORS BELIEVE A RARE AMEBA HAS BEEN INTO HIS BODY. DOUGLAS COUNTY HEALTH SAYS THE BOY STARTED SHOWING SYMPTOMS — FIVE DAYS LATER, HE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL TWO DAYS AFTER. EASTON LOST HIS BATTLE YESTERDAY. JULIE: THERE IS A FUND TO HELP HIS FAMILY WITH MEDICAL AND FUNERAL EXPENSES, HE ALREADY RAISED APPROXIMATELY $12,000 IN THE FIRST SIX HOURS. WE WILL INCLUDED A LINK TO KETV.COM. ROB: DOUGLAS COUNTY HEALTH EXECUTIVES SAY THIS INFECTION IS INCREDIBLY RARE AND FOUND IN FRESH WATER. JULIE: AS ABBY PETERSEN OF KETV NEWSWATCH 7 REPORTS THE EXPERTS SAY CLIMATE AND WATER TEMPERATURE MAY PLAY A ROLE, ABBY? ABBY: UNMC PROFESSOR, DR. JESSE BELL SAYS WHAT WE USUALLY SEE IN THE SOUTHERN STATES BECAUSE THEY ARE USUALLY WARMER. BUT IT SEEMS TO BE CHANGING. DOCTORS SAY, AS THE WATER WORKS, THE AMEBAS WILL BECOME MORE ACTIVE. >> WHEN IT BECOMES MORE ACTIVE AND RISES INTO A PILLAR OF WATER, SOMEONE IS MORE OPPORTUNITY TO POTENTIALLY MAKE CONTACT WITH THIS ORGANISM WHICH COULD LEAD TO HUMAN OR DIRECT CONSEQUENCE TO HUMAN HEALTH AND THEREFORE. ABBY: UNMC PROFESSOR, DR. JESSE BELL SAYS AS THE TEMPERATURE IS RISE IN THE US AND AROUND THE WORLD, CHANGES ARE OCCURING IN THE BODY. >> THIS DOES MAKE MORE GREAT CONDITIONS FOR THE PRESENCE OF NAEGLERIA FOWLERI. AND SO WE CAN POTENTIALLY SEE MORE AND MORE THERE EXPANDING THE RANGE OF WHERE THIS ORGANISM HISTORICALLY HAPPENS. ABBY: LOOK AT THIS CDC MAP IN 2021. THEY SHOW MOST CASES OF BRAIN-EATING AMOBEIA LOCATED IN THE SOUTHERN STATES. BUT NOW WE KNOW THEY COULD ADD IOWA AND POTENTIALLY NEBRASKA TO THE LIST. >> WE’VE SEEN MORE OF THIS ORGANISM IN THE GREAT NORTHERN STATES, WHICH POTENTIALLY IS BECOMING MORE COMMON AND POSSIBLY MORE COMMON. ABBY: DR. BELL SAYS THE AMEBA LIKES MORE STANDING WARM WATER AND CURRENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS COMBINE FOR THE PERFECT STORM. HE SAYS WE CAN KNOW MORE AMEBAS, HOW WE’VE SEEN OTHER DISEASES TO GROW, HOW TEMPERATURES HAVE RISE IN THE LAST 50 TO 100 YEARS. >> THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT WE WILL SEE OTHER DISEASES IN THE FUTURE WITH CHANGING TEMPERATURES. AND SO WE NEED TO BE UNDERSTANDING SOME OF THESE LINKS AND WE NEED TO ENSURE WE PREPARE FOR A POTENTIAL TRANSFER. ABBY: WE WANT TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE NOT CLOSING THE ELKHORN RIVER OR ANY OF ITS ACCESS POINTS. ABBY PETERSEN, KETV NEWSWATCH 7. JULIE: AGAIN, THIS INFECTION IS VERY RARE. DOUGLAS COUNTY HEALTH DIRECTOR, DR. LINDSEY HUGHES SAYS THIS IS USUALLY INTRODUCED TO THE BODY THROUGH THE WATER RISING HIGHLY INTO THE NOSE. >> IF YOU SWIMMING, IF YOU NIVER, IF YOU PAY FOR THE BOAT, WATER SKI IT IS RISE. IF YOU JUST SIT IN A PIPE FLOATING THE RIVER WITHOUT FORCE YOUR FACE IN THE WATER, THE LEVEL OF RISK WILL BE MUCH LOWER. JULIE: HEALTH RESIDENTS SAY SYMPTOMS CAN APPEAR ONE TO 12 DAYS AFTER INFECTION. THIS USUALLY INCLUDES FEVER, HEADACHE, NAUSE AND VOMITING.
‘Incredibly tragic’ boy dies of brain-eating amoeba in Douglas County
The Ministry of Health says that the child became infected after bathing. in Elkhorn river.
Updated: 8:11 AM CDT, August 19, 2022
Easton Gray family says he loved to swim, which he did on August 8 in River Elkhorn near the Valley. That’s when Douglas County health officials believe a rare brain-eating bacterium made its way into 8-year-old body.Easton family gave KETV NewsWatch 7 permission to release his name on Thursday night along with with photo from the GoFundMe page in his memory: “Because Easton was taken from world too soon we ask for your thoughts and prayers for his family and friends mourning this incredibly tragic period.” All of in money Funds raised will go towards medical expenses and funeral expenses.Click here for Link: GoFundMe for Easton Gray’s family health officials say the child developed symptoms five days after bathing. in river. Two days later, he was admitted to the hospital. Easton lost battle Wednesday. Centers for Disease control and prevention conducts tests for confirm that this is Naegleria fowleri, the same brain-eating amoeba that showed up in south Iowa lake this summer. Missouri man dies after being infected in Taylor County.
Easton Gray family says he loved to swim, which he did on August 8 in River Elkhorn near the Valley.
That’s when Douglas County health officials believe a rare brain-eating bacterium made its way into 8-year-old body.
Easton family gave KETV NewsWatch 7 permission to release his name on Thursday night along with with photo from the GoFundMe page in his memory:
“Because Easton was taken from world too soon we ask for your thoughts and prayers for his family and friends mourning this incredibly tragic period.”
All of in money The proceeds will go towards medical and funeral expenses.
Click here for Link: GoFundMe for Easton Gray family
Health officials say the child began experiencing symptoms five days after bathing. in river. Two days later, he was admitted to the hospital. Easton lost battle Wednesday.
Centers for Disease control and prevention conducts tests for confirm that this is Naegleria fowleri, the same brain-eating amoeba that showed up in south Iowa lake this summer. Missouri man dies after being infected in Taylor County.
