STERLINGTON, LA (AP) — More than 300 people gathered in Sterlington to hear from state and local officials about a potentially deadly amoeba found in their drinking water.
The News-Star’s Scott Roger and Greg Hilburn report that Ouachita Parish Schools Superintendent Don Coker told the group that water fountains are off at the town's three schools. He says 4,000 bottles of drinking water were stocked at the schools Wednesday.
Health officials say the amoeba is dangerous only if it gets high up the nose, to the skull's opening for olfactory nerves.
State Medical Officer Jimmy Guidry said Wednesday that there have been few cases of the brain-eating amoeba, but there's a 95 percent chance of death if one is infected.
The private North Monroe Water System is the fourth where the amoeba has been found this year.
