A two-year-old boy died in the US state of Nevada on Thursday (July 19) after contracting a deadly brain-eating amoeba while swimming. The little kid, identified as Woodrow Bundy passed away from infections, which his family believes entered his body while playing in the water in Ash Springs. 

Bundy’s mother, Briana, took to Facebook to share the tragic news of her son’s passing. “Woodrow Turner Bundy returned victoriously to our father in heaven at 2:56 am. He fought 7 days.

The longest any person has survived on record is 3,” wrote Briana. “I knew I had the strongest son in the world. He is my hero and I will forever be grateful to God for giving me the goodest baby boy on earth, and I am grateful to know I will have that boy in heaven someday,” she added. 

Initially, the boy developed flu-like symptoms as the family attempted to provide him with the required healthcare. However, as Bundy’s distress grew, the family took him to the hospital in the middle of the night, where doctors thought he had meningitis.

After conducting the tests, it was found that little Bundy had contracted Naegleria fowleri – a brain-eating amoeba which had sparked panic across the US last year. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the infection almost turns fatal for the majority of patients. People who get infected suffer from a disease called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.

Symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, disorientation, a stiff neck, a loss of balance, seizures and/or hallucinations.

Typically, an amoeba survives in warm fresh water like ponds, lakes and swimming pools. If the amoeba enters through the nose, it can cause a severe infection. However, if it enters through the mouth, it is normally safe, because the single-cell microorganism is killed by the stomach acid.