The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) confirmed that a teenager died on August 31 after contracting primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare brain infection caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba. The teen was initially reported as critically ill on August 27. His mother, Monica Mendoza, identified him as Moises Ponce Mendoza in an online fundraiser, stating that he developed intense headaches before being taken to a Burlington hospital on August 21. After being sent home following a brief examination, his condition worsened, leading to his admission to the University of North Carolina hospital, where doctors diagnosed the infection.