July 06, 2020: A case of a rare brain-eating amoeba has been confirmed in Florida, according to health officials in the US state.

Florida health officials have revealed that a person has been infected with a rare and usually deadly brain-eating amoeba. 

According to the Department of Health (DOH), the patient contracted Naegleria fowleri in Hillsborough County. The DOH did not outline where the infection was contracted, or the patient's condition. The amoeba cannot be passed from person to person.

The microscopic, single-celled amoeba can cause an infection of the brain, and is usually fatal. Commonly found in warm freshwater, the amoeba enters the body through the nose.

In the US, there have been 143 known infected cases of the amoeba, according to the Florida DOH. Only four have survived.

Those infected with Naegleria fowleri have symptoms including fever, nausea and vomiting, as well as a stiff neck and headaches. Most die within a week.

The DOH has urged people who experience those symptoms to "seek medical attention right away, as the disease progresses rapidly".

Health officials urged locals to avoid nasal contact with water from taps and other sources. This includes bodies of open water such as lakes, rivers, ponds and canals, where infections are more likely in the warmer summer months of July, August and September.