A child has died after being infected by a rare, brain-eating amoeba which was detected at a splash pad he visited in Arlington, Texas.
FOX 10 reports that the boy, whose identity and age are being kept private, died on Sept. 11 after being hospitalized at Cook Children’s Hospital for a week.
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According to the report, the city of Arlington says a little boy became sick and died likely from something in the water at the Don Misenhimer Park splash pad, which officials admit were not properly maintained.
After Tarrant County and the city of Arlington received a notice the child was in the hospital in early September, an investigation was launched and its findings resulted in the immediate closure of all city splash pads.
FOX 10 reports that the investigation revealed there were multiple gaps in the city’s water testing process, and water samples sent to the CDC confirmed Don Misenhimer Park traced back as the source of the amoeba.
According to NBC DFW, city officials say that chlorination readings were not documented in inspection logs at Don Misenhimer Park on the day the child visited.
NBC DFW reports that in a statement released Monday, the city said an investigation by the Tarrant County Public Health Department “determined two possible sources for the child’s exposure to water containing Naegleria fowleri: the family’s home in Tarrant County or the Don Misenhimer Park splash pad in Arlington.”