Water quality and safety are a growing concern for Durham families following the death of an Alamance County teenager whose illness was linked to possible exposure to a brain-eating amoeba at a water feature at El Futuro.
Moises Ponce Mendoza, 17, of Burlington, died Aug. 31. According to a report, he splashed water on his face at the site where investigators found “non-viable Naegleria fowleri DNA,” meaning the amoeba had been present at some point.
“Any time there’s water with the amoeba in it, and it gets up into your nose, that can be an exposure,” state public health veterinarian Dr. Carl Williams said. “That opens up the possibility of less forceful situations, like splashing.”
Naegleria fowleri occurs naturally in soil and warm freshwater, including ponds, lakes and rivers. It can also be found in poorly maintained outdoor water features…