A 21-year-old woman in eastern California last month succumbed to a brain-eating amoeba, said public health officials. It is believed the woman picked up the parasite on private property in the town of Bishop, about 60 miles southeast of Yosemite National Park.

She experienced flu-like symptoms last month, and physicians diagnosed her with meningitis after conducting tests on her. She was transported to a hospital in Reno after her symptoms worsened. But, she later died of the cardiac arrest.

The amoeba is officially known as naegleria fowleri. It has the capability of thrive in warm freshwater and soil. The infection is caused when contaminated water enters the nose and the parasite travels to the brain.

A sufferer first exhibits flu-like symptoms like fever, vomiting, headaches and then experiences hallucinations, seizures. A nine-year-old kid, Hally Yust, also died of the infection in July last year after contracting it from a contaminated lake in Kansas.

“I want to emphasize that there have been no evident cases of amoeba contamination in the U.S. in well-maintained, properly treated swimming pools or hot springs”, said Richard Johnson, a public health officer in Inyo County, California.

The case of the Californian-woman who died of the infection last month has been detailed in a report compiled by the Division of Health & Human Services of Inyo County.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends staying away from warm, untreated or poorly treated water to ensure protection from the infection.