Gosh, I missed this post entirely. Is this just freshwater lakes in the south? 
I don’t go in the lakes in Iowa, but how about Minnesota and Canada?
The two recent deaths were of Oklahoma children, unrelated to each other and infected separately.
Aug. 6 story here:
http://www.newsinferno.com/storypages/8-06-2005~004.html
and here
my suggeststion was to simply bring a wooden whistle. as long as it doesn’t have a metal tuning slide, it should float…
i like the sound of the brain worms… of course, i’m guessing people are still out there swimming. after all, mad cow’s been around a while, but people are still eating beef…
(not to stir a pot, just observing)
~Z
Summer is full of health hazards! It’s a wonder any of us survive to adulthood.
Check out the fine information offered by the CDC.
Best check for floatability before you go . . . my understanding of well-seasoned wood is that it sinks like a stone. And being that it’ll be in a pocket, would likely be sat upon and squished. 
Take Heart! 10,000 years from now an archeologist will discover the whistle right next to the bones of an alligator (dead from brain worms), conclusively proving that those extinct reptiles played musical instruments. Later, a PhD dissertation will assert that the alligators green color is a direct result of Irish heritage! 
No, it isn’t the 'gators - it’s the Croc O’Diles. 
On the bright side, there is one fine whistling gator out there now!
Tom
Yep, I agree. You can never be too careful with your loose bits around an alligator. 
Tom
Several drugs are effective against Naegleria in the laboratory. > However, although a variety of treatments have been used to treat infected persons, their effectiveness is unclear since most infections have still been fatal. > Prompt diagnosis and treatment may help.
from the CDC link Lambchop gave, my bolding.
Why not just come out and say it? I mean if everyone dies, could we not say that the treatments have not been effective? I know, the treatments were not diagnosed early enough or something.
Well, the little swimming I do is in really cold water in big lakes on vacation so I think I’m just going to forget this little bit of ghastliness. Or try to anyway.
Poor Florida…been watching the news, and there’s an algae bloom in the ST. John’s River near Jacksonville (caused by fertilizer and runoff) and around the Tampa coastline, there’a breakout of that Red tide thing. They’re calling it the “Death zone”
Oh dear. That is awful. I think I heard something about manatees being affected by that Red Tide. Although maybe in the summer they are more out in the sea. Wish I could remember. We have trouble here with fertilizer getting into water. I guess they are working on it.
Ah, yes! Red tide. The water has had an unpleasant burgundy tint and a horrendous stench. It actually has fumes. The worst of it seems over, though. I haven’t seen any dead, floating fish outside for a few weeks, and I did see some lively schools of bait fish over the weekend.
In an effort to breathe, I’ve switched from exercising outdoors to indoors at work, and I’m now only wheezing most of the time.
Sadly, it has affected sea turtles, already endangered, which are washing ashore in record numbers. They’ve overwhelmed the scientists at the rescue lab. The cost of caring for them is enormous. They estimate it will take 3 to 4 months to rehabilitate them. If you’d care to donate, their number is 727-441-1700 x 222. It’s a reputable marine laboratory.