CHARLOTTE, NC (WCMH)–Federal health officials now confirm that water samples at a whitewater park in North Carolina contained the amoeba believed to have caused a Westerville teenager’s death.

Lauren Seitz, 18, was on a trip with her Westerville church group when health officials believe she came in contact with the deadly amoeba at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte.

Dr. Marcus Plescia, the health director for Mecklenburg County, said the Whitewater Center decided on its own to suspend whitewater activities for a few days after preliminary tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed the presence of that brain-eating amoeba.

“They have a very good system and they were concerned that they still had the presence of the organism despite that,” Plescia said.

Plescia said that getting rid of the amoeba completely was unrealistic because it is so common.

“If you go into a lake or a pond or a river or even some swimming pools, you might come into contact with this microorganism,” Plescia said.

The Whitewater Center and health officials from the state and county will be meeting over the next few days to see if anything can be done to lower the concentrations of the microorganism.

“We want the public to feel safe in going there, but we also need to be realistic about what can and can’t be done,” Plescia said.

While these results were preliminary, Plescia said health officials felt “quite certain” about the presence of the amoeba. Cultures are expected back sometime next week.

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