Amebiasis in Texas

• Often asymptomatic: Most infected individuals show no symptoms.
• Mild Intestinal: Loose stools, abdominal pain, stomach cramps.
• Severe Intestinal (Amebic Dysentery): Frequent, bloody stools (dysentery), severe abdominal pain, fever.
• Extraintestinal (less common): Liver abscess (fever, right upper quadrant pain), and rarely infections in the lungs or brain.

Amebiasis spreads primarily through the fecal-oral route. This occurs when a person ingests cysts of *Entamoeba histolytica* from contaminated food or water. Contamination can happen via infected food handlers, use of human feces as fertilizer, contaminated irrigation water, or direct person-to-person contact in unsanitary conditions.

• Practice good hand hygiene, especially after using the toilet and before preparing or eating food.
• Drink safe water (bottled, boiled, or chemically treated) in areas with poor sanitation.
• Avoid raw, unpeeled fruits and vegetables, and uncooked foods in high-risk areas.
• Ensure proper sanitation and safe disposal of human feces.
• No vaccine is currently available for Amebiasis.