Brain-eating amoeba kills 21-year-old woman in Bishop, Calif.

A California woman, 21, has died after contracting a brain-eating amoeba, known as Naegleria fowleri. When her symptoms worsened, she was transported to a hospital in Reno, where she ultimately died of cardiac arrest.

Her name has not been released.

Humans become infected when water containing Naegleria fowleri enters the nose, usually while swimming or diving. Inyo County public health officials say she woke up from a nap on June 16 with a headache and was soon vomiting. There are less than 10 cases are reported each year, and it has never been shown to spread from person to person.

Now, officials know the brain-eating amoeba was behind it. Cases due to the use of neti pots and the practice of ablution have been documented. The brain-eating amoeba rarely infects tap water, experts said.

The case of the Californian-woman who died of the infection last month has been detailed in a report compiled by the Division of Health & Human Services of Inyo County. No one knows for sure how the woman contracted the amoeba, but experts say this type of infection happens after swimming in warm freshwaters like rivers and lakes. The amoeba must have entered through her nose then traveled to her brain, which then lead to tissue damage. Other symptoms can include stiff neck, confusion, loss ofbalance, seizures, and hallucinations.

Symptoms of the disease start to occur roughly 5 days after infection and may include headache, fever, nausea, or vomiting. After the start of symptoms, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within 3-7 days.

This infection is extremely rare with zero to eight infections each year. However, the probability of death is virtually 100% if contracted.

“I want to emphasize that there have been no evident cases of amoeba contamination in the U.S.in well-maintained, properly treated swimming pools or hot springs”, Johnson said.

Low water levels may have played a role due to the ongoing drought in both California and Nevada.

Hold your nose shut, use nose clips or keep your head above water in warm bodies of freshwater.

‘Our next steps are to inspect the suspected sites of exposure to find what risk factors might exist like places where people might go swimming and where the domestic water supply is on the property, ‘ he told the paper’s reporters.

He added, “This is a tragic event for someone who becomes infected, as well as their family”.