Six young men died last year after swimming in lakes or pools infested with a brain-eating amoeba, the CDC reports. The bad blobs — known as Naegleria fowleri or N. fowleri — thrive in warm, fresh water all over the world. But the key word here is warm. The amoeba loves heat. In the U.S., it inhabits the relatively hot waters of lakes, hot springs, and poorly maintained pools in Southern or Southwestern states.

Full story: medicinenet.com