KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — The Iowa Department of Public Health revealed Friday that the beach at Lake of Three Fires will temporarily close due to potential exposure from a Missouri resident with a rare brain infection.
Testing to confirm the presence of Naegleria fowleri in Lake of Three Fires is being conducted with the CDC and could take several days to complete, according to a press release.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services states they are also working closely with the Iowa Department of Public Health on this case.
Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic single-celled free-living amoeba that can cause a rare, life-threatening brain infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.
Naegleria fowleri can be present in any body of warm freshwater (lakes, rivers, ponds) across the United States, but infections are rare.
Since 1962, only 154 known cases have been identified in the United States, according to IDPH.
No other suspected cases of infection are currently being investigated in Missouri or Iowa.
—
