WESTON, Fla. – A person who contracted a rare brain-eating amoeba in Broward County did not get it from a body of water in Weston, despite a news release from the city stating the contrary.
The Florida Department of Health said this week that a Broward County resident contracted Naegleria fowleri while swimming in unsanitary water, but health officials wouldn't specify where.
Weston spokeswoman Denise Barrett-Miller said in a statement Friday that Mayor Daniel Stermer and City Manager John Flint were informed by health officials that the person who contracted the amoeba did so by swimming in water on private property in the city.
However, Stermer told Local 10 News reporter Sanela Sabovic in an interview Friday afternoon that health officials later determined the amoeba was not contracted in the city limits.
"I can't tell you where it is," Stermer said. "That I don't know. I can confirm it's not here in our city."
Health officials continue to investigate, but so far no other cases have been identified.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the amoeba is typically found in bodies of warm freshwater, such as lakes, rivers and hot springs.
