ARLINGTON, Texas – A brain-eating amoeba killed a child in Tarrant County, and investigators say it was likely contracted at one of Arlington’s splash pads.
The child was hospitalized with a rare infection on Sept. 5 and died less than a week later.
The city closed all of its splash pads on the fifth for the remainder of the year as a precaution.
On Sept. 24, the CDC confirmed the presence of the often-fatal Naegleria fowleri amoeba at the Don Misenhimer Park.
The city says it determined that employees did not keep consistent records or in some cases even test the water quality at Don Misenhimer Park or at the Beacon Recreation Center.
The city says there were no water chlorination readings documented at the Don Misenhimer Splash Pad on two of the three days the child was there.
