(Video) Brain-Eating Parasite Kills Second Child This Month: Danger Lurking In Your Freshwater Swimming Areas

August 17, 2011--11:05 p.m ET]------A silent danger is lurking in freshwater swimming areas like pools, rivers, hot-springs, lakes and this unsuspecting killer has claimed the life of a second child this month.

9-year-old Christian Strickland from Henrico County, Virginia, died on August 5 of meningitis. The boy reportedly contracted an infection while at a local fishing camp.

Mom Amber Strickland said her son complained of a headache after coming home from camp and by the next morning, didn't want to get out of bed while acting like he did not even know who she was.

Another child succumbed to the deathly infection earlier this month. 16-year-old Courtney Nash also came down with similar symptoms one week before she died. She too had gone swimming, this time in the St. John's river in Florida. This brings the death tol to 3 for this Summer.

The infection is cause by a microscopic amoeba which thrives in warm freshwater. This silent killer reportedly enters the victims brains through the nose as they swim.

Meningitis symptoms include headaches, nausea, stiff neck and fever and the infection can progress rapidly, killing in a matter of days.

The parasite, officially called the Naegleria Fowleri, is rare, killing 117 people since the seventies.

Dr. Michael Beach , Associate Director For Healthy Water for the Center For Disease Control (CDC), say kids can protect themselves by wearing nose-plugs while swimming, avoid warm, shallow waters and kicking up sendiment.

Though mainly found in freshwater swimming areas, there were reportedly 2 cases of infection from domestic waters in 2002.

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