Brain-Eating Amoeba Attacks Swimming Boy, 14

A 14-year-old boy is critically ill after he contracted a brain-eating amoeba while swimming in a lake.

Hunter Boutain, of Alexandria, Minnesota, is in a coma at University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis after swimming in Lake Minnewaska on Tuesday.

He is being treated for suspected primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare and often fatal brain infection caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba which is found in warm freshwater.

Bryan Boutain, Hunter's uncle, said on Wednesday: "As of this afternoon, Hunter is still in the hospital and remains in critical condition.

"This is a difficult time for our family. We are grateful for the support we've received, and welcome everyone's continued prayers."

Public beaches in Glenwood and Starbuck were closed on Tuesday, but have since reopened, the Echo Press reported.

The amoeba can infect people by entering the body through the nose, usually when people get water in their nose from swimming and diving.

Symptoms include headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting and stiff necks. Secondary symptoms can include confusion, hallucinations, lack of attention, loss of balance and seizures.

There have been 35 confirmed cases of infection in the last 10 years in the US, CBS News reported.

Experts have said the risk of contracting the infection can be reduced by using nose clips, keeping your head out of the water and avoiding stirring up sediment at the bottom of shallow freshwater areas.