Lauren Seitz had just graduated from high school when she decided to go on a trip with her church, Church of the Messiah United Methodist Church in Westerville, Ohio. Their group had made many plans together, and began by setting out to the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, North Carolina to whitewater raft together.
That was the only day Seitz ended up enjoying with her friends before she passed away from meningitis.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is still investigating Seitz’s case, but health officials suspect that Seitz was infected the “brain-eating amoeba,” Naegleria fowleri, found in warm freshwater sources when she was whitewater rafting.
N. fowleri doesn’t cause infection if it’s swallowed, but if it travels up a person’s nose, it can cause infection and meningitis, “inflaming the brain and surrounding tissues.” The Mecklenburg County Health Department speculates that this is what happened to Seitz.
Local, state, and national officials are now investigating the water sources of the US National Whitewater Center. The center has released a statement to ensure everyone that it tests its water each week and disinfects the water with UV light and chlorine to “inactivate” any amoeba present in the water. The center is, however, agreeing to participate in any necessary investigations.
Although many people contract infections from using public water sources each year, the cause of Seitz’s death – by infection with N. fowleri – is incredibly rare. The N. fowleri amoeba has only infected 138 people since 1962 (according to the CDC), but the cases of infection that have occurred have been fatal.
Seitz will be deeply missed by those who knew her. She had been a large, influential, and inspirational figure in her high school band program. Her band director wrote a post in honor of her on his Facebook:
Many have expressed their condolences on social media. Her life will be honored in a memorial and candlelight vigil this week in her hometown. Her family is encouraging people to donate to music education programs in Seitz’s honor.
