A California family was concerned when their 7-year-old developed an intense migraine. Never could they have imagined that in just days, he would die from a rare infection.
David Pruitt went swimming in a lake in Tehama County, California, on July 29. The next day, the little boy started experiencing an extreme headache. His parents thought it was a migraine. He was rushed to an emergency room and later flown to UC Davis Medical Center.
Public health officials have yet to reveal what body of water David swam in, but they were able to confirm that he contracted primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), an infection of the brain caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba, found in fresh water and soil around the world.
It wasn't long after 7-year-old David Pruitt swam in a lake in Northern California that the little boy started experiencing a headache. His parents became concerned when the pain got worse, and they took him to an area hospital.
Later, David was transferred to UC Davis Medical Center. Medical professionals were able to identify severe brain swelling, and David was placed on life support. On August 7, David's aunt Crystal Hayley posted a heartbreaking update on the GoFundMe page set up to help David's parents.
"We are sad and broken hearted to report, that our sweet little David has passed on," she wrote.
"He is now in the loving arms of our Lord and family members who have passed before him. We are rejoicing in knowing he is no longer in pain and in the best of care."
The family explained that David contracted a brain infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The extremely rare infection is caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba, found in fresh water and soil around the world.
There have been only 10 cases of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis reported in California since 1971. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only four people out of 148 have survived the infection in the US from 1962 through 2019.
David's parents want to raise awareness of the amoeba and its symptoms. In the first stage, symptoms include fever, nausea, and vomiting. In the second stage, they lead to stiff neck, seizures, altered mental status, hallucinations, and coma. You cannot get PAM by swallowing water while you swim but rather by water going up your nose.
