Lauren Seitz: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Lauren Seitz, 18, of Westerville, Ohio, died June 19 following an infection after she was exposed to a brain-eating ameba. According to health officials, she contracted the illness after visiting U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. She May Have Been Exposed While Whitewater Rafting

(Getty)

(Getty)

18-year-old Lauren Seitz passed away after being exposed to a brain eating ameba called Amebic Meningoencephalitis, an infection caused by Naegleria fowleri. The amoeba lives in warm water. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, it is believed Seitz was exposed after the raft she was whitewater rafting in overturned.

Naegleria fowleri ameba travels up the nose into the brain, causing an infection called Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis, which “causes brain swelling and death,” according to the CDC. It is most often associated with recreational water activities such as swimming or diving in warm, fresh water such as lakes and rivers. Infections can also occur when people put their heads underwater in hot springs. It can only be transmitted through one’s nose.


2. There Have Been 138 Cases Since 1962

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Naegleria fowleri is a free-living ameba that causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a disease of the central nervous system. PAM is a rare disease that is almost always fatal. In the United States, there have been 138 PAM infections from 1962 through 2015 with only three survivors. These infections have primarily occurred in 15 southern-tier states, with more than half of all infections occurring in Texas and Florida. PAM also disproportionately affects males and children. The reason for this distribution pattern is unclear but may reflect the types of water activities (such as diving or watersports) that might be more common among young boys 3.

Symptoms usually begin about 5 days after infection and initially include headache, fever, nausea and/or vomiting. Later on symptoms may include a stiff neck, confusion, inattentiveness, loss of balance, seizure and hallucinations. Once symptoms begin, the disease usually causes death within five days.


3. The Water at Whitewater Center Is Tested Weekly

U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte released a statement. It says:

The US National Whitewater Center conducts water quality tests every week. Based on these tests and all
available information, at all times, the USNWC has been in compliance with all required water quality standards and meets the requirements of all regulatory standards and authorities. Furthermore, the USNWC has requested additional testing specific to this issue in an abundance of caution. The USNWC is workingclosely with the Centers for Disease Control and the Mecklenburg County Health Department to investigate
the matter further.

You can read the full statement here.


4. She Was Getting Ready to Attend College

Cosmpolitan reported that Seitz graduated high school in May, and planned on attending Denison University to major in environmental science with a minor in music.

“Lauren understood the overwhelming beauty and fragility of life with uncommon clarity and cared so deeply about the welfare of other people and this world we all share. Her genuine kindness and encouragement will continue to inspire and comfort everyone who knew her,” Seitz’s obituary states.


5. Her Family Is Requesting Donations to a Music Fund in Her Name

Seitz’s family requested through her obituary that donations be made in her honor:

As a lasting tribute to her memory, her love of music, and the self-confidence and maturity that grew out of her experiences in the band program at Westerville South, her parents have established The Lauren Elisabeth Seitz Memorial Music Fund. Donations will be used to create an endowment that provides support benefiting all music programs at Westerville South in perpetuity. Make checks payable to “The Lauren Elisabeth Seitz Memorial Music Fund” and send to First Financial Bank, 780 South State St. Westerville, OH 43081. Or call the Westerville branch of First Financial Bank at 614-776-5300 and a banker will help you with your donation.