Hacker News Reader

Comment by michaelbuckbee | Hacker News Reader

I still don't quite understand how tap water in a neti-pot is significantly more dangerous than swimming in local lakes, swimming pool or the ocean. Certainly, you get water in your sinuses from that, right?

View on HN

Yes, and people get from it from swimming [0] [1] [2]. That's typically how people get infected. It doesn't affect that many people because people typically don't intend to fill their nose while swimming.

The issue is that a neti pot is that you're intentionally putting water deep into the sinus cavities. This amoeba is exactly why they tell you to only use sterilized water in a neti pot and to clean and sterilize your neti pot regularly.

[0]: https://www.theepochtimes.com/surfer-dies-from-brain-eating-...

[1]: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2392917/Hope-Kali-H...

[2]: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/brain-eating-amoe...

Beyond just that, I have to question how many non-lethal non-brain-eating infections come from injecting untreated water into your face that don't make the news.

Thanks for the references. Skimming through them it seems it's only the case for warm freshwater. Citing from your 1st reference:

> Naegleria fowleri infects people when water containing the ameba enters the body through the nose. This typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, like lakes and rivers.

Does it mean sea water is safe or at least safer?

Lake swimming is the primary way people are infected with brain-eating amoeba. It is a fresh-water amoeba that is killed by chlorine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri

Can this happen to anybody, or only to people with a weakened immune system?

Infection is universally fatal even with treatment, and your immune system actually makes it worse.

https://www.iflscience.com/brain/brain-eating-amoeba-kicks-f...

When you swim in lakes & rivers, you typically don't get water way up your sinuses. Maybe a bit in the nose but not far back. So the odds are lower. Not impossible as there have been case of triathletes dying from the same thing after a lake race, but definitely lower odds.

As for the ocean, its salinity prevents that kind of amœba from even being present.

The swimming pool is at least chlorinated, but AFAIK, it can happen in any fresh water.

https://www.kolotv.com/content/news/Child-dies-from-brain-ea...

You certainly also can get amoeba infections from swimming.

https://www.allaboutvision.com/contacts/acanthamoeba-keratit...

If you're a contact lens wearer, you should be careful using them while swimming or rinsing them with tap water. A hydrogen peroxide cleaner like Clear Care will help kill amoebas.

I can't find it now, but there was a news story recently where a contact lens wearer contracted something from tap water because she did not dry her hands troughly after washing them and handling the lenses.

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39568781

This stuff lives in old water heaters right? It could've happened any time, but if you're using a neti pot you probably have a cold and are already susceptible to infection.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com