St. Cloud Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency

Central Minnesota is in for a hot, humid weekend so it’s a safe bet countless residents, along with countless tourists, will cool off by jumping in a nearby lake or river. Similarly, it’s an extremely safe bet all those folks will emerge no worse for wear — and much refreshed.

That point is worth making in the wake of state and national media coverage of the recent death of a Pope County teen Hunter Boutain.

Don’t recognize his name? Add the words “brain-eating amoeba.”

Remember now? He is the 14-year-old who died last week. Doctors were treating him for a suspected case of amebic meningoencephalitis, an extremely rare condition caused by an amoeba called Naegleria fowleri. It is believed he contracted the infection after swimming in Lake Minnewaska, about an hour’s drive west of St. Cloud.

Boutain’s death is unspeakably tragic and — again — extremely rare. Unfortunately, the rare aspect has gotten lost amid the media’s rush to use words like “brain-eating amoeba” followed by “in a Minnesota lake.”

That should concern you if you value Minnesota’s 10,000-plus lakes and its many miles of navigable (and swimmable) rivers.

Swimming in Minnesota’s natural waters always has come with risks. But contrary to what too many news reports have left unsaid in reporting Boutain’s death, they are not unsafe. And they most certainly are not prone to the deadly situation Boutain may have encountered.

According to federal and state health authorities, there have been 35 cases of primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, reported in the United States in the last 10 years. If Boutain did suffer PAM, he will be the third person to die of it in Minnesota since 2010.

Just for context, think of the long odds faced to win the Powerball. Know that in the 10-year span of those 35 cases there have been 137 winning Powerball tickets sold. Again, extremely rare.

That said, Minnesotans, especially those concerned about its waters and tourism business, should cite Boutain’s death as reason to do more research into PAM. Three cases have happened in the state since 2010; prior to then, the closest cases were hundreds of mile south.

Couple that with the knowledge that Naegleria fowleri is found worldwide in water and in soil. What might have changed in Minnesota to spur these cases? Or is it simply horribly unfortunate circumstances — the kind that spur media to play up the sensationalism while ignoring the rarity?

For more information, visit www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/naegleria/index.html.