The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals issued a warning for residents this week after confirming the presence of a microscopic brain-eating amoeba in the water system of St. John the Baptist Parish.
The amoeba is deadly and causes a deadly form of meningitis, ABC News reported.
The water is still safe to drink, health officials assured. Rather, the amoeba travels up through the nose into the brain, so officials are warning residents to be careful while swimming, ABC News reported.
The water system where the amoeba was discovered provides for 12,577 people, the news outlet reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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