WACO, Texas — The BSR Surf Resort in Waco voluntarily closed its wave pool for CDC testing after a surfer who visited the pool died from Naegleria fowleri, which is also known as a "brain-eating amoeba."
The surfer who passed away was Fabrizio "Fab" Stabile from New Jersey.
The infection is extremely rare, but very deadly.
According to the CDC, the fatality rate for the amoeba is over 97 percent. Only four people out of 143 known infected individuals in the United States from 1962 to 2017 survived.
Symptoms of Naegleria fowleri include headache, fever, nausea or vomiting and usually start one to nine days after the initial infection. Later symptoms can include stiff neck, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance, seizures and hallucinations.
Once symptoms begin, the disease progresses rapidly and typically causes death in five days.
CDC crews collected water samples, trying to find the source of the contamination.
The park will stay closed until results come back from the investigation.