New Jersey-native Fabrizio Stabile, 29, has reportedly been killed by a brain-eating parasite he contracted at a Texas water park
A New Jersey man has been killed by a brain-eating parasite he contracted at a wave pool in Texas, reports claim.
Fabrizio Stabile’s family says the 29-year-old complained of a severe headache on September 16, and by the following day he was incoherent and unable to get out of bed.
Stabile was immediately rushed to the hospital in Pleasantville, New Jersey, where doctors first believed his brain swelling and fever symptoms were caused by bacterial meningitis,.
When his condition continued to deteriorate rapidly despite the meningitis treatments, doctors began running tests to determine another cause.
Four days after the initial symptoms appeared, Stabile’s family received the devastating news that he had tested positive for Naegleria fowleri, an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba that kills 98 percent of infected persons.
Stabile died the following day.
Stabile complained of a headache on September 16, and the following day he was found to be incoherent and unable to get out of bed. Doctors diagnosed the 29-year-old described by family as an ‘avid outdoorsman’ with an amoeba called Naegleria fowleri and he died days later
An obituary for Stabile describes him as an ‘avid outdoorsman’ who ‘loved snowboarding, surfing, and anything to do with friends and family’.
He is believed to have contracted Naegleria fowleri during a visit to the BSR Cable Park in Waco, Texas, where he swam in the wave pool.
It remains unclear when exactly Stabile visited the park, but infection symptoms from the parasite typically flare up between one and nine days after contact.
Stabile is believed to have contracted Naegleria fowleri during a visit to the BSR Cable Park in Waco, Texas. The park has been voluntarily shut down as CDC officials investigate
The water park has been temporarily closed pending an investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
BSR Cable Park owner Stuart E Parsons Jr. said: ‘Our hearts and prayers are with his family, friends, and the New Jersey surf community during this difficult time.
‘BSR Surf Resort operates a state of the art artificial man-made wave. We are in compliance with the CDC guidelines and recommendations concerning Naegleria fowleri.’
A spokesperson for the CDC said preliminary testing results from the facility are expected to be returned this week.
In the wake of Stabile’s death his family founded the Fabrizio Stabile Foundation for Naegleria Fowleri Awareness – which has raised more than $22,000 in less than a week via a GoFundMe page.
According to the CDC, there have only been 143 diagnosed cases of the parasite in the 56 years since it was discovered.
Of the 34 cases reported in the US between 2008 and 2017, 30 people had been infected by recreational water, three people were infected after performing nasal irrigation using contaminated tap water, and one person was infected by contaminated tap water used on a backyard water toy.
The parasite can cause a deadly infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis when contaminated water enters a person’s body through the nose and mouth.
Of the few cases reported, only five people in North America are known to have survived.
Three of those survivors were treated with drug therapy, but in Stabile’s case it was too late to administer the medication.
Between 2008 and 2017, 34 infections were reported in the U.S. Of those cases, 30 people were infected by recreational water, three people were infected after performing nasal irrigation using contaminated tap water, and one person was infected by contaminated tap water used on a backyard water toy,