OCALA, Fla. -- The Marion County Health Department on Monday issued an alert to residents, warning them to take precautions while swimming in freshwater lakes and ponds because of the threat posed by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic organism.

Health officials said infection with the amoeba is very rare but added that recent record temperatures in the Southeast region of the United States have increased the risk of infection.

Infection can occur when the amoeba enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain and spinal cord when a person dives or is swimming under water. The amoeba is most common when water temperatures exceed 80 degrees.

Health officials said the following residents should take the following precautions to decrease the possibility of infection:

Wear nose clips or hold the nose shut when swimming, jumping or diving in any fresh water.

Do not swim, jump or dive in warm, stagnant, fresh water.

Seek medical treatment if infection is suspected.

Symptoms of Naegleria fowleri include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, seizures, hallucinations, loss of balance and bodily control. The disease can progress rapidly and can result in death within three to seven days. Infection cannot be spread from person to person.

Properly cleaned, maintained and chlorinated pools do not pose a risk for infection.

The warning comes a week after an Orange County boy died after contracting amoebic encephalitis, or acute swelling of the brain. The amoeba suspected of infecting the boy likely entered his body through the nose and traveled to the brain and spinal cord after he swam in a lake.

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