South Carolina boy dies from brain-eating amoeba in lake

A 12-year-old boy died from a brain-eating amoeba two weeks after swimming in a well-known South Carolina lake during the July Fourth weekend.

What happened to Jaysen Carr?

Why you should care:

Jaysen Carr went swimming at Lake Murray about 15 miles west of Columbia, South Carolina during the holiday weekend.

Carr got sick several days later and died on July 18, according to the AP. The boy’s father and mother had never heard of the amoeba before a doctor shared the heartbreaking news of what tests of his spinal fluid detected. 

RELATED: Arkansas toddler dies of rare brain-eating amoeba infection likely contracted at country club splash pad

Clarence Carr told the Associated Press that he was shocked to learn South Carolina, like other U.S. states, has no law requiring public reporting of deaths or infections from the amoeba. The AP reported that the lake wasn’t closed, and no water testing was done.

“My son was a very smart individual. If he had one warning, he would have thought swimming in the lake was a bad idea,” Carr said.

What is the brain-eating amoeba?

The backstory:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the amoeba enters the brain through the olfactory nerve in the nose. Once it’s inside, the amoeba causes an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.

RELATED: Florida man dies after contracting brain-eating infection from rinsing sinuses with tap water

The amoeba is dangerous in extremely warm water, like lakes and rivers in southern parts of the U.S. and other areas with hot, sometimes dry summers.

Symptoms can start with headache and nausea. When the pain becomes severe, it is almost always too late to save the infected individual. 

The CDC explains in a report that of the 167 cases reported in the U.S. between 1962 and 2024, only four people have survived, and most deaths occur within five days of getting sick.