{"id":69233,"date":"2023-11-27T19:51:10","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T19:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotcelebon.com\/?p=69233"},"modified":"2023-11-27T19:51:10","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T19:51:10","slug":"girl-10-dies-after-contracting-brain-eating-bug-from-swimming-pool-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotcelebon.com\/lifestyle\/girl-10-dies-after-contracting-brain-eating-bug-from-swimming-pool-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Girl, 10, dies after 'contracting brain-eating bug from swimming pool' | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"

A\u00a010-YEAR-OLD girl died after allegedly contracting\u00a0a\u00a0brain-eating bug from\u00a0a\u00a0swimming pool.<\/p>\n

Stefan\u00eda\u00a0Villamizar\u00a0Gonz\u00e1lez\u00a0developed ear pain and\u00a0a\u00a0fever and began vomiting two days into her family holiday.<\/p>\n


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She was treated for\u00a0a\u00a0suspected ear infection before returning home, where her discomfort eased off.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0a\u00a0fortnight after her initial symptoms, she struggled to get out of bed and began convulsing.<\/p>\n

She was taken to\u00a0hospital, where she remained under strict medical care until her death over three weeks later.<\/p>\n

After\u00a0a\u00a0weeks-long investigation, experts gave her cause of death as amoebic encephalitis.<\/p>\n

READ MORE ON AMOEBAS<\/h2>\n

<\/picture>DEADLY BUG <\/span><\/p>\n

Boy, 1, dies after brain-eating parasite 'swam up his nose' at kid's splash park<\/h3>\n

<\/picture>GONE TOO SOON <\/span><\/p>\n

Mum shares heartbreaking photos of boy, 2, who died after going swimming<\/h3>\n

It is\u00a0a\u00a0rare central nervous system infection with\u00a0a\u00a095 per cent chance of death.<\/p>\n

They believe it was caused by Naegleria fowleri, often dubbed the \u201cbrain-eating amoeba\u201d, which is often found in badly managed pools or stagnant water.<\/p>\n

Devastated mum Tatiana\u00a0Gonz\u00e1lez\u00a0believes her daughter contracted it through her nose as she played in the water in Santa Marta, Colombia, in June.<\/p>\n

Stefan\u00eda, from Bucaramanga, was\u00a0a\u00a0keen tennis player, skater, and ballet dancer who dreamed of becoming\u00a0a\u00a0gymnast.<\/p>\n

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A\u00a0close relative told local media: \u201cWe share our story so that other children and families do not suffer what we are going through.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are destroyed, devastated.\u201d<\/p>\n

The operations manager of the hotel where\u00a0Stefan\u00eda\u00a0is believed to have contracted the amoeba has pledged to reinforce safety standards.<\/p>\n

Local media made no mention of any criminal charges.<\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

What is Naegleria fowleri?<\/h3>\n

Naegleria fowleri\u00a0lives in soil and warm, freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds and hot springs, but can also be found in pools and splash pads that are not properly maintained, experts say. <\/p>\n

It infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).<\/p>\n

It then feeds on brain tissue, leading to severe neurological damage.<\/p>\n

Symptoms typically begin about five days later, with a severe headache, fever, nausea and vomiting.<\/p>\n

The illness then usually progresses, causing a stiff neck, seizures, altered mental status, hallucinations and sometimes a coma.<\/p>\n

This can then lead to death. <\/p>\n

Infections are rare, but it is fatal in almost all cases, with a survival rate of just three per cent.<\/p>\n

In order to avoid falling ill, health officials recommend:<\/p>\n