The infection, caused by the ameba Naegleria fowleri, is rare and almost always fatal, according to health officials.

The infection, caused by the ameba Naegleria fowleri, is rare and almost always fatal, according to health officials.

  • lennybird@lemmy.world
    25·
    1 year ago

    Couple things because I’ve delved into this myself a good bit — especially having what I view as a close call doing water-sports at a very warm lake that has a history of deaths from this very thing (cue a week’s worth of paranoia…)

    • Despite it being “always fatal,” we don’t really know how often it’s encountered and that our immune-system is able to get rid of it. (Nobody voluntarily gets it; nobody goes to the ER that isn’t sick for the very specific symptoms it presents as).
    • It has to get very far up your nose and is usually from kicked-up sediment.

    Regarding Nasal Irrigation/Neti pot Risk: be sure to use distilled water. Also some bonus information I’ve written up previously regarding the benefits of nasal irrigation:

    There have been many studies showing its effectiveness in reducing the duration and severity of both the common cold, as well as reducing the chance of hospitalization from covid 8x if done twice a day.

    (BONUS: Gargling saltwater in tandem can also be effective — perhaps not so much with coronavirus, but with the common cold, etc.)

    That’s not even saying anything about the benefits to those with allergies…

    Pro tips for those wanting to do more nasal irrigation:

    • Do yourself a favor and get a nasal irrigation syringe instead of the pot. Much more control and a little pressure when needed.
    • Get the pre-made saline packets to ensure the dosage is appropriate and balanced to not burn.
    • Use distilled water only
    • Routinely sterilize your nasal irrigator in boiling water.
    • Look into using J&J Baby Shampoo in 1% solution if you need something stronger for a high-risk infection.
    • If not using it regularly, consider using the nasal-irrigation immediately after being in a “high-risk” environment such as an indoor area with many people tightly packed and at risk of being sick. It will flush your initial viral load and improve your odds of purging the infection before it starts.
    • Nugget@lemm.ee
      2·
      1 year ago

      I swear I haven’t gotten any kind of viral infection since I started doing daily sinus rinses. And my head aches are gone!

  • labgoblin@sh.itjust.works
    22·
    1 year ago

    This is why you shouldn’t submerge your head in hot springs. Naegleria fowleri needs to go into your nose to infect you.

    • El Barto@lemmy.world
      641·
      1 year ago

      I have no stake in this game, but I think you’re exaggerating.

      First, not everything in OP’s post history is negative. There are actually a few very positive stories in there.

      Second, the community is called news, not good news. And unfortunately, bad news travel faster and reach further than good news.

      And finally, I’ve come across most of those headlines while scrolling around my feed, which means that the news community would be quite dead (Edit:) which means the news community would be less active if it weren’t for the contributions of OP. Help tip the balance, then!

      Edit: I re-checked and there are other active contributors in the news community, so I take back my “community being dead otherwise” comment.

      • Maharashtra@lemmy.world
        749·
        1 year ago

        There are actually a few very positive stories in there.

        An exception does not make the rule. It only strengthens it.

        And unfortunately, bad news travel faster and reach further than good news.

        This is no excuse to look for gems like the one we’re discussing under, and bring them to public attention. People die everywhere, each day. It’s a harsh truth and it won’t change. But it does not mean that everyone’s feed should be polluted by all those cherrypicked murders, kidnappings, abuse, violation that concerns people whose we didn’t know just a moment ago.

        …and whose pain and suffering still resonates with our own emotions.

        Help tip the balance, then!

        I do. By not joining the parade of misery and directing my efforts at less toxic communities. And also by stigmatizing the toxic behavior as wrong.

        • El Barto@lemmy.world
          25·
          1 year ago

          An exception does not make the rule. It only strengthens it.

          We’re not talking about rules here.

          This is no excuse to look for gems like the one we’re discussing under

          OP is interested in those topics and he’s posting them. I don’t think there is malice in their intentions. Like I said, OP also posts good news. If there was ill-intention, then all of the posts would be “misery,” and you may have a point. But that’s not the case.

          I’m actually daring to say that pieces like this one would bring awareness to the risk of getting a brain eating amoeba infection under certain circumstances.

          I do. By not joining the parade of misery and directing my efforts at less toxic communities.

          And yet you’re commenting here ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . And no, that’s not participating by posting the news you want to see, and just whining in the comments, is not helping.

            • oiez@lemmy.world
              12·
              1 year ago

              I have a 2 year old and live in Nevada. Now I know to avoid taking my kid to swim in warm fresh water ponds, so, kinda helpful?

              • lennybird@lemmy.world
                13·
                1 year ago

                What this user advocates for is Blissful Ignorance. They’d rather rather bury their head in the sand; and if that’s the case, then they either (a) should contribute to such threads with the sort of news they expect, or (b) unsubscribe and seek out places such as UpliftingNews.

                Anything less than these options and the person is a essentially a spoiled choosy beggar in my view who spreads just as much if not more negativity in their comments as they allege from OP’s submission.

                The user acts and quacks like a troll — or at least someone so imperceptibly-off that they lack a moment’s introspection to see that blissful ignorance invokes FAR more misery in this world than what he suggests.

              • CherenkovBlue@iusearchlinux.fyi
                4·
                1 year ago

                Lol yep. I live around here and there are a lot of hot springs. This is actually important news - keep us aware and safe. Donno what that poster is smoking…

            • Deuces@lemmy.world
              6·
              1 year ago

              He ripped you apart for the use of proverb/appeal to authority. You need to know your fallacies if you’re gonna argue. An early game mistake, but you gotta roll with the punches.

              OP is interested in those topics and he’s posting them. I don’t think there is malice in their intentions. Like I said, OP also posts good news. If there was ill-intention, then all of the posts would be “misery,” and you may have a point. But that’s not the case.

              This is where you could have clarified your argument. Something to the effect of “I’m not trying to make the claim that OP was being actively malicious. I’m saying that he was adding to the greater misery of all people by posting negative news that has no effect on anybody outside the family it happened to.” Remember to never use the phrase “I didn’t say” it sounds whiny and people hate it.

              Personally I’d add a paragraph here where I’d go off into a short diatribe about the 24 hour news cycle being accelerated by the internet. But that’s a stylistic choice.

              Again your final paragraph has conviction, which is good. But, this time you refered to an earlier argument which hurt you. You can reference the earlier paragraph, but he just claimed it didn’t hold water and your response was “yes it does”.

              Consider instead: “As I said before “short quote from before”. I don’t believe that engaging with things I disagree with perpetuates them. Though, if you have a more effective way of speaking out about it, I’d love to hear it.”*

              List of fallacies: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies

              For proper logic you want the formal fallacy list, for better arguing you want the informal list.

              *Note: “I’d love to hear it” is a great way to end a part of the argument but it must (a) be specified with which part of the argument you’re talking about and (b) be something beyond repute. It’s a very helpful tool, but used carelessly, it will cut your hand.

              • Maharashtra@lemmy.world
                19·
                1 year ago

                He ripped you apart

                Tell me you’re an Internet newcomer without telling me you’re an Internet newcomer.

        • Deuces@lemmy.world
          6·
          1 year ago

          Hey, this is gonna come off mean, but I’m really hoping some of it will rub off and you’ll take something to heart.

          You initial point wasn’t terrible. This next post lost anybody that may agree with you. Proverbs and quotes don’t win arguments, they come off as appeals to authority.

          In your next paragraph you need to give some room so you don’t come off as unwilling to agree on anything. "I see where your coming from, but “this thing” rubs me the wrong way. “Explanation of why”. In contrast, if what they just said really doesn’t make sense to you: “I honestly can’t understand how you feel that way given that…”

          Either way, this is also where you need to present your evidence.

          Your final paragraph is great. You have conviction in your stance on the argument. Great way to end a first reply where you haven’t been convinced of anything.

            • Deuces@lemmy.world
              2·
              1 year ago

              Fair enough. I hope you’ll consider reading it as that was intended to be a consolation before genuine critique, but you’re your own person.

    • RagingNerdoholic@lemmy.ca
      194·
      1 year ago

      Because ignoring all the bad stuff makes it go away /s

      Maybe take a look in the mirror and realize your toxic positivity.

      • Blamemeta@lemmy.world
        14·
        1 year ago

        There are a million tragic stories everyday. We ignore 999,999. Why focus on something so negative that we can’t change, all we can do is feel sad?

      • Maharashtra@lemmy.world
        320·
        1 year ago

        Because ignoring all the bad stuff makes it go away

        Yes.

        In your case it will make 0,0000001% of negativity gone with no loss of anything valuable. It’s a win-win situation. It’s worth it.

        And with that I bid you farewell, with the final suggestion to heal yourself, if you’re so empathetic about people, yo.