⚠️ Death from RV Tapwater, CDC Warning⚠️

[DeMac]

CDC Warning RV Tap Water and Associated Death

"The Centers for Disease Control recently reported that a 71-year-old woman died in Texas in 2024 from a rare brain infection caused by tap water in her RV. She used that water to wash out her nose." Dr. John Flores of Little Elm said

The Hill- Woman dies from brain-eating amoeba after using tap water to clear sinuses: CDC

A Texas woman has died after contracting a rare infection from a brain-eating amoeba while using tap water to clear out her sinuses at an RV campground, according to a recent report.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published the death investigation in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report last Thursday, stating that the patient was an otherwise healthy 71-year-old.

According to the report, she started experiencing serious symptoms like a fever, headache, and “altered mental status” within four days of using a nasal irrigation device filled with tap water.

The woman received medical treatment for the suspected Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) infection, but according to the report, she started having seizures and died eight days after the symptoms started.

Through an investigation, the CDC confirmed that Naegleria fowleri was found in the woman’s cerebrospinal fluid.

“If water containing the ameba goes up the nose and to the brain, it can cause an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM),” the CDC said. “Typically, fewer than 10 people a year in the United States get PAM. Nearly everyone who gets PAM dies from it.”

According to medical records, between 1962 and 2023, the United States reported 164 cases of PAM. Of those cases, only four patients survived.

 

[Mr P]

Good warning.

 

[nikitis]

Very rare occurrences. I've been hearing a lot in the news lately about brain eating amoeba's. Wonder why the CDC's pushing such propaganda now? Attempting to scare people from living in RV's?

Nothings changed in the water. There's not an increase in deaths from such a thing, only a flare up of the propaganda. Reminds me of the time the World health organization said bacon causes cancer to keep people from eating red meat.

 

[DeMac]

# Sanitize your fresh water tank at the start of the season and drain it if it will be unused for more than 2 weeks (you should also do this is you ever get bad water in your holding tanks). To sanitize the tank and the fresh water system, do the following:

1. Prepare a chlorine solution using one gallon of water and 1/4 cup of Clorox or Purex household bleach (5% sodium hypochlorite solution, NOT THE SCENTED STUFF). Pour one gallon of solution into tank for 15 gallons of tank capacity.
2. Complete filling of tank with fresh water. Turn on the pump. Open each faucet and let it run until all air has been released from the pipes and entire fresh water system is filled. You should be able to smell chlorine strongly at each faucet.
3. Allow to stand for three hours.
4. Drain and flush the tank and system with potable fresh water.
5. To remove any excessive chlorine taste or odor which might remain, prepare a solution of one quart vinegar to five gallons water and allow this solution to remain in tank overnight or longer.
6. Drain tank and again flush with potable water.


# If in doubt about the quality of the water going into your fresh water tank, add a small amount of common household bleach to the water in the tank. A teaspoonful of bleach per 20 gallons of water is plenty!


We use filters ( a sediment filter and a whole house 0.5 micron) not bleach. We did end up in a campground once that had bad water. We just didn't realize how bad. We didn't drink it but the dog and cat did. The dog was young and healthy. she recovered. The cat was healthy but very old and "fragile" is the best way to describe her. She picked up something that messed with her urinary tract (she cried when she would pee and she seemed dehydrated). Vet could do nothing. Suggested putting her down rather than the very, very expensive operation that she probably wouldn't survive due to age. We did get her better but it took about a year to do it. She lived for about 3 years after that. She never did completely recover. She always got a cold before anyone else did (something she rare did before). She was listless all the time. the cat was between 20 & 25 yo when she died. Lesson learned... we all (pets included) drank bottled water or water from home when camping. With the RV, I put together a filter setup together because we were staying long term, in an area with a lot of agriculture, high fertilizer use, and very sandy soil. My filters filter out just about everything without hitting the Reverse Osmosis (RO) level of filtration. I put the filter system inline when filling the water tank while traveling. We would never know we had taken on bad water until it was too late and possibly several states away. Keep a bottle of sanitizing solution to spray down the water pipe spigot. ALWAYS use your own hose to fill your tank with... you know where it has been. I have heard and personally seen horrible, nasty things done with dump station potable water hoses. Trust me on this one... sanitize the spigot with a trigger sprayer (even up inside the spigot) until it is dripping and ALWAYS, ALWAYS use your own water hose to fill your tanks with. If all you have are long hoses, then pick up a 6 to 8 ft shorty (or cut one down) just to travel with for filling the tank.

Lorna's Original Post

Animals & children rely on our efforts to ensure their world is safe.

 

[nikitis]

Yes absolutely clean your tanks often. I'd likely do it before each use as I wouldn't be using it daily, and it would have time to "grow" things in the tank.

Iodine tablet is a good thing to throw in there once in awhile as well.

@DeMac did you get more animals?

 

[AlphaHare]

Very rare occurrences. I've been hearing a lot in the news lately about brain eating amoeba's. Wonder why the CDC's pushing such propaganda now? Attempting to scare people from living in RV's?

Nothings changed in the water. There's not an increase in deaths from such a thing, only a flare up of the propaganda. Reminds me of the time the World health organization said bacon causes cancer to keep people from eating red meat.

Scary stuff makes the headlines, pure and simple. The CDC puts out a morbidity report every week on some topic. The focus of this one was more about nasal irrigation risks. Texas wants to promote RV safety for tourist dollars. Processed meats do, in fact, increase the risk of bowel cancer, especially when cooked at high heat (bacon).

 

[nikitis]

I don't buy it. Bowel cancer is also rare. The whole overcooking food thing is also a recent thing they've been spitting out too in the narrative. "Don't overcook your food, the ash is bad for you!!"

Yet several generations of my family and others all eat overcook bacon daily their whole lives and not a single one got bowel cancer. There are definitely things that cause cancer, but bacon is not one of them. Not in any kind of excess anyway. When I'm 80 years old and still eating crispy bacon, I'll be sitting there laughing at people who deprived themselves their whole lives of good breakfasts.

 

[AlphaHare]

The three most common types of cancers are breast, lung, and colorectal. It's not the ash, but the chemical changes to the preservatives in processed meat, mostly nitrates. Facts are stubborn things. Eat scrapple - it's grey, no nitrates!

 

[TaliaDPerkins]

Nasal sinus irrigation is supposed to be done with water that has been boiled. Every time.

Boil it, let it cool, add 1~2 tsps table salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda and stir 'til dissolved.

 

[TaliaDPerkins]

I don't buy it. Bowel cancer is also rare. The whole overcooking food thing is also a recent thing they've been spitting out too in the narrative. "Don't overcook your food, the ash is bad for you!!"

Yet several generations of my family and others all eat overcook bacon daily their whole lives and not a single one got bowel cancer. There are definitely things that cause cancer, but bacon is not one of them. Not in any kind of excess anyway. When I'm 80 years old and still eating crispy bacon, I'll be sitting there laughing at people who deprived themselves their whole lives of good breakfasts.

Nikitis, facts are more stubborn than you are. What you are calling rare is in the top three for being a cancer that kills people. It is a fact that the nitrosoamines formed when cooked nitrite/nitrate preserved meats to the point of browning are carcinogens -- yes, it's worse the darker you brown it. That is something that category of chemicals does. Maybe by being otherwise healthy, having good Vit D levels, etc., that increased risk can be completely offset -- it's still always only a crapshoot.

Pretending you're not in the craps game because you think someone wants to rig some other game, is just being a Flat Earther.

 

[TaliaDPerkins]

Eat scrapple - it's grey, no nitrates!

Yeah, but it's a carb bomb.

 

[ewo1]

Eat Mo chikin.....

 

[BamaBus]

Bowel cancer is a form of Colorectal Cancer. Make your own decision based on facts. Get your head out of your a** (if you still have one) and get checked. Fight Colorectal Cancer, American Cancer Society

 

[BamaBus]

CDC Warning RV Tap Water and Associated Death......

According to medical records, between 1962 and 2023, the United States reported 164 cases of PAM. Of those cases, only four patients survived.

I appreciate the post and don't believe this is a conspiracy from a government agency to promote fear of RV's. Every year one can read a story about this disease caused by warm water from different sources. The most important fact is that if you get it, you probably will die.

 

[nikitis]

HRM I wasn't aware Collin cancer was so high. I've only ever known one guy in my life who had it. I've seen far more testicular cancer and pancreatic cancer in my circles. I've probably known more people with brain cancer than Colon.

 

[desrtdog]

Yep … colon cancer is one of the most common ones… my dad passed away from it and my father in law had it…
A couple of other tidbits for you: it’s one of the most treatable if caught early, and the incidence is on the rise in younger adults - like as early as in their 30’s and 40’s …
Used to be was the guideline get screened starting at 50; believe that is now 45, and if you have polyps, recheck every 3-5 years…