North Carolina teenager dies from rare brain-eating amoeba infection

Naegleria fowleri is commonly found in warm freshwater, and if it enters through the nose, can cause brain damage A North Carolina teenager has died after contracting a rare and often fatal brain-eating amoeba. The state’s health department (NCDHHS) confirmed the boy’s death on Monday, saying: “NCDHHS has been informed that the teen who developed a rare illness, caused by Naegleria fowleri died on Aug. 31, 2026. We extend our condolences to the family, friends and community impacted by this loss.” Last Thursday, NCDHHS reported that the boy had contracted a rare illness caused by the single-cell organism commonly found in warm freshwater. The teenager – whose mother, Monica Mendoza, identified him as Moises Ponce Mendoza in an online fundraiser – was described earlier by the NCDHHS in its statement as “critically ill and receiving medical care”. A Facebook post from a user who identified himself as a close relative of Ponce – also said that the teen had died by Monday. In the online fundraiser, Mendoza described her son in Spanish as a “young man full of life currently fighting for his life in the hospital – in a coma”, adding that his illness started with severe headaches. She sai