ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A South Florida boy has survived a brain-eating amoeba that kills most people who contract it.
Florida Hospital officials in Orlando said Tuesday that 16-year-old Sebastian DeLeon came to the hospital two weeks ago complaining of a headache and sensitivity to light.
Hospital staffers are trained to look for the amoeba since another boy died from it there previously.
Officials say the infection has a fatality rate of 97 percent. It's often contracted through the nose when swimming in freshwater.
Doctors lowered the teen's body temperature, induced a coma and gave him a drug that isn't readily available at most hospitals.
Luck was also on his side since the drug's manufacturer is based in Orlando, and a shipment got to the hospital quickly.
He is expected to recover with therapy.
(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
