The first confirmed contraction of a deadly brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, here in the US through tap water occurred recently in Louisiana after a 5-year old died 2 weeks after picking up the microorganism.
The amoeba is normally harmless and found in freshwater lakes in the southern United States and will only infect someone if it gets far up into the nasal passages, where it can pass through porous bone that separates the sinuses and the brain.
Still, this is quite alarming being found in tap water. Use neti pots only with bottled or boiled water and take care with head submersion in baths.
