A brain-eating amoeba that killed two people in two weeks ago has turned up in the water supply of a Louisiana county near New Orleans for the second time in two years.

The water supply of St. Bernard Parish (Louisiana counties are called parishes), which is located five miles outside of downtown New Orleans, is undergoing a 60-day chlorine “burn” to eradicate Naegleria fowleri, the Louisiana Department of Heath and Hospitals announced.

Officials say the burn is being conducted “out of caution,” adding that the tap water is safe to drink because you cannot become ill by drinking infected water. However, they warn that residents should avoid getting water in their noses because it can infect people via that route. It travels up the nose and into the brain, where it typically causes an infection of the lining around the brain (meningitis) and inflammation of the brain (encephalitis). Symptoms often include severe headaches, fever, and a stiff neck.

More at https://www.yahoo.com/health/brain-e...170465647.html

Originally posted by Tropez

Shouldn't you boil your water before drinking anyway? I didn't know people drink straight tap water.

Originally posted by Nebula

I drunk tap water my whole life and am still alive hunty

Originally posted by Tropez

Shouldn't you boil your water before drinking anyway? I didn't know people drink straight tap water.

Originally posted by Nebula

I drunk tap water my whole life and am still alive hunty

Originally posted by Latinazza

I don't know anyone in New York that boils their water. We actually have one of the best tap water(s) in the U.S.

Unless, you're more used to drinking bottled, of course.

The key thing for this bug, for those in the affected LA are, is to avoid contact with the nostrils (and probably to make sure that it doesn't come into contact with open sores).

Originally posted by Tropez

Shouldn't you boil your water before drinking anyway? I didn't know people drink straight tap water.

Originally posted by Tropez

Shouldn't you boil your water before drinking anyway? I didn't know people drink straight tap water.

Originally posted by Chucko

Boiling it won't get rid of heavy metals, alpha particles and other nasty stuff that might be in the water. I think for the most part the water here is safe to drink from the tap but I don't because they add stuff to it and I don't like the way it tastes. If a draw a bath I can actually smell the chlorine they add it's very little but it's there.