More on that ‘greatest hoax’ thing

Reality denier and GOP senator James Inhofe and a CNN weatherdunce might not think this has anything to do with global warming, but doctors do. Whom do you believe?

Jack is one of six people to die this summer in the United States from the naegleria fowleri amoeba.

All were believed by health officials to have contracted an infection from the amoeba from swimming in warm, freshwater lakes, rivers or natural springs.

There is no risk from properly chlorinated swimming pools, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The amoeba enters the human body through the nose. It then travels to the brain, where it begins to feed.

Symptoms of the amoeba’s rampage begin 1 to 14 days after infection and resemble the flu. At the onset of those symptoms the amoeba victim’s health swiftly declines.

At this point, says Dr. Kevin Sherin of the Orange County Health Department who is investigating three deaths this summer in Florida, ”It’s progressing very rapidly and then there’s a downhill course for them there. Folks lapse into a coma, there are abnormal movements of the eyes and a terrible cascade of events leading to the actual death of parts of the brain.”

In the hot summer months when the amoeba flourishes, he said, doctors need to learn to look for the symptoms of an amoeba-related illness.

“Physicians have to consider it. The public needs to consider it,” Sherin said. “If you have a flu-like illness or a bad headache following swimming in a freshwater body and the temperature is over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, be aware of this.”

However, only a handful of doctors have seen a patient with the rare amoeba.

Until this summer there were only 24 known cases of the virus in the U.S. since 1989, according to the CDC.

Health officials cannot explain the spike in cases this summer, except that weather plays a factor.

“Because it‘s been such a hot summer, that has contributed to warmer water temperatures and lower water levels and that makes an ideal environment for the amoeba,” said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine of the Arizona Department of Health, which is investigating a death last month there tied to the amoeba.

On the plus side, think of how many wealthy corporations have been spared the burden of expensive environmental upgrades. And not being able to swim in any body of water that isn’t saturated with chemicals surely is a small price to pay for the ability to drive a Hummer.

Pretending this isn’t happening is madness.