The temperature outside in the summer is unbearable, even in places a lot cooler than New Mexico. The logical response is to go for a swim. Provided that you only swim in places suited to your skill level, you are safe as long as you swim in the ocean or in a chlorinated pool. The dangers of summer swimming involve natural bodies of water, such as lakes and rivers. Even though you will not find alligators as far west as New Mexico, since the range of the American alligator only extends as far west as eastern Texas, there are plenty of dangers lurking in the water when the temperature gets hot enough.
An amoeba species called Naegleria fowleri can cause a form of encephalitis that is usually fatal when water contaminated with the amoeba enters the nostrils; several people in the United States die from N. fowleri infection each year. Although fewer than four cases have been reported in New Mexico, you should still be cautious about swimming in rivers and lakes. If you contracted a parasitic infection while swimming on private property, contact a Santa Fe slip-and-fall and premises liability lawyer.
Two Cases of Naegleria fowleri Infection Reported So Far This Year
N. fowleri lives in the soil almost everywhere in the continental United States, including at the bottom of lakes and rivers. When the water temperature reaches a certain temperature, it can survive in the water; this usually happens when the air temperature is at least 90 degrees. Most people who come into contact with N. fowleri do not get infected; it does not cause illness if it enters broken skin or if you swallow amoeba-contaminated water. If it enters the nasal passages, though, it can migrate to the brain and cause primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The symptoms of PAM begin five to nine days after exposure, and they resemble the symptoms of bacterial meningitis, such as severe headache and hallucinations. Most patients die within a week of the onset of symptoms.
There have been 162 cases of PAM reported in the United States, and only four of those patients have survived. All of the survivors have been recent cases, perhaps due to early diagnosis and treatment, because of increased awareness of the disease in the medical community. Only three cases have been reported in New Mexico; Texas and Florida have the highest number of cases. So far, two people have died from PAM in 2025. One was a 71-year-old woman in Texas who used untreated water for sinus irrigation at a campground. The other was a 12-year-old boy in South Carolina who became infected after swimming in Lake Murray. All recorded cases of PAM have involved people who swam in lakes and rivers or irrigated their nostrils with untreated water, except for one who became infected after playing in water at a splash pad.
Contact Slate Stern About Personal Injury Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured while swimming in natural freshwater. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
Sources
https://www.krqe.com/health/brain-eating-amoeba-where-are-infections-most-common-and-who-is-at-risk
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00436-023-08094-w
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