ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida teenager diagnosed with the brain-eating amoeba was treated at Florida Hospital in Orlando, and despite the odds, he survived.
A combination of rapid medical care and a pill distributed by an Orlando company saved 16-year-old Sebastian DeLeon’s life.
DeLeon was swimming in a south Florida lake in late July. Days later, his family was in Orlando, but he had a crippling headache.
Within hours, DeLeon was at Florida Hospital, and an astute lab technician found a brain-eating amoeba in a lumbar fluid sample.
"We are all detectives. We literally had to look at this and study for it awhile," Florida Hospital lab technician Sheila Black said.
The amoeba, found in warm freshwater, has a 97 percent fatality rate.
DeLeon was put into a coma, and his body was chilled to 32 degrees in order to freeze the amoeba.
But it was Orlando company, Profounda, that learned of the amoeba and delivered medication that is believed to have been key in saving DeLeon's life.
"The idea I came up with was whether than just leave it in warehouse lab, let's get the drug out into the community. As many hospitals as we can, that way the drug will be available," said Profounda CEO Todd Maclaughlan.
Profounda’s pill, Impevido, is recommended by the CDC, but it is not readily available in hospitals.
Despite a six-month crusade by Profounda to stock the pills for free, hospitals across the country have not done so, largely because the amoeba is cited as being too rare, even though patients can die in a matter of hours.
“We are talking to one hospital at a time, basically getting it out, targeting groups getting it out," said Maclaughlan.
Florida Hospital doctors said it was a combination of immediate medical care and the pill that saved DeLeon.
Either way, Florida Hospital officials said they have become crusaders for Impevido, and want it to be available everywhere.
"Will Florida hospital stock this pill now?" asked Channel 9’s Jamie Holmes.
"Yes. That's our goal," said Florida Hospital Dr. Humberto Liriano.
"Will you promote this pill to other hospitals?" asked Holmes.
"Yes," said Liriano.
Out of 138 people that have been infected by an amoeba, only four survived, and three of them took Impevido.
The CDC keeps the medication in Atlanta and has to fly it out to hospitals.