Officials say parasite responsible for boy's death

DUBLIN - An 11-year-old central Georgia boy has died from encephalitis after ingesting a rare parasite. <br> <br> Daniel Cox was hospitalized August 29 with a headache, fever and vomiting. He died Monday at a Savannah hospital. <br> <br> Doctors concluded that Daniel ingested a parasite while he was swimming in the Oconnee River. Dry weather has decreased water levels in the Oconee and slowed its flow. <br> <br> Mark Harden, the district&#39;s environmental director, said a treatment for the infection exists, but diagnosis often comes too late. <br> <br> While the amoeba is common, human infection is extremely rare. Only 200 cases have been recorded worldwide. <br> <br> The health department is testing samples from the river. The Environmental Protection Division is planning to come to Laurens County for additional testing. <br> <br> The city of Dublin gets its drinking water from the Oconee, but Harden said there&#39;s no danger to the water system.