Yucatán Tracks 242 Lake Visitors After Amoeba Death

Yucatán health authorities are monitoring 242 people who visited an artificial lake at a Mérida shopping mall where the amoeba Naegleria fowleri was confirmed in water samples, the state’s health secretary said Wednesday.

Secretary Miguel Alberto Alcocer Gamboa said more than 300 people who used the lake at La Isla mall since Aug. 4 have been identified so far. Some have already passed the risk window as time goes by, leaving 242 currently under epidemiological watch while health workers continue tracking down others who visited before Aug. 15.

The so-called “brain-eating amoeba” claimed the life of a 34-year-old wakeboard instructor at the La Isla shopping mall artificial lake.

The instructor, known only as Carlos N. in public reports, was from Sonora and worked at Fornelos Wake Yucatán, using the La Isla lake for recreational activities. Fornelos’ operations have been suspended by health authorities and the company’s Instagram page is offline.

Mexico’s national epidemiological reference institute, known by its Spanish acronym InDRE, confirmed his death was caused by primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a severe and extremely rare brain infection. National health laboratories later detected the amoeba in samples taken from the lake itself, establishing it as the likely source of infection. It’s the first confirmed case of its kind in Yucatán.

Alcocer Gamboa said the disease’s incubation period runs about 15 days, but authorities are extending surveillance to a full month out of caution. Health workers are contacting people identified as having visited the lake to explain warning signs and urge them to seek medical care right away if symptoms appear. Those signs include fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and neurological changes. People under observation were also given a direct phone line to reach health authorities if symptoms develop.

State officials stressed that the artificial lake isn’t connected to Mérida’s drinking water network or to any other recreational facility, and that the general public faces no risk from the case. Naegleria fowleri isn’t transmitted person to person and can’t be contracted by drinking water; infection occurs when contaminated water enters the nose during swimming or diving.

The lake remains closed while Yucatán’s health protection office investigates whether the companies responsible for its maintenance and water quality met sanitary standards. Officials said any violations found will be sanctioned “with the full weight of the law.” Health services are also calling on other businesses that operate immersion activities across the state to keep their water-quality testing current.

Fast Facts

• Location: Artificial lake at La Isla shopping mall, Mérida
• People under medical watch: 242
• Total identified as exposed since Aug. 4: 300+
• Confirmed cause of death: Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (Naegleria fowleri)
• Incubation period: About 15 days; monitoring extended to one month
• Warning signs: Fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, neurological changes
• Site status: Closed pending investigation

With reporting from Líneas Emergentes, with additional background from La Jornada Maya