( CNN ) -- Brain-eating amoebae were found in DeSoto Parish , Louisiana , where a 51-year-old woman died from an infection in 2011 , the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals said . The parish 's Waterworks District No . 1 -- one of 14 systems in the parish -- was to flush its system with additional chlorine Wednesday to kill the amoeba , the department said in a release Tuesday . Residents , over the next two months , `` may notice a change in the smell and taste of the water throughout the chlorine burn . However , the water will remain safe to drink , '' the department said . The state selected the district 's water for additional testing because of the 2011 death . After the Naegleria fowleri amoeba was detected last month in St. Bernard Parish near New Orleans -- and linked to the August death of a 4-year-old boy -- the state tested DeSoto Parish 's water as a precautionary measure . The district serves almost 5,000 customers in DeSoto Parish , which includes the city of Mansfield , south of Shreveport . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the amoeba 's presence ; there are no known current illnesses reported in the state . `` Families can take simple steps to protect themselves from exposure to this ( amoeba ) , the most important being to avoid allowing water to go up your nose while bathing or swimming in a pool , '' state health officer Jimmy Guidry said in the release . `` It is important to remember that the water is safe to drink ; the ( amoeba ) can not infect an individual through the stomach . '' The first symptoms of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis appear one to seven days after infection . They include headache , fever , nausea , vomiting and a stiff neck , according to the CDC . `` Later symptoms include confusion , lack of attention to people and surroundings , loss of balance , seizures and hallucinations , '' the CDC website says . `` After the start of symptoms , the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within one to 12 days . '' The state released a list of precautions residents could take to lower their risk of infection . Among them : Do n't allow water to go up your nose while swimming , bathing or washing your face ; lower yourself carefully into tubs and pools to avoid splashing ; avoid playing in sprinklers or on Slip ' n Slides ; run taps for five minutes before use ; use boiled or distilled water for sinus rinse solutions and neti pots ; and be sure to keep swimming pools and hot tubs disinfected . Officials say the Mississippi 4-year-old who died in St. Bernard Parish in August had been playing on a homemade waterslide made of a long sheet of plastic when he contracted amoebic meningoencephalitis . In 2011 , a woman , 51 , in DeSoto Parish and a 20-year-old man near New Orleans died after rinsing their sinuses with neti pots , the Department of Health and Hospitals said . Officials say fewer than 1 % of patients survive the deadly brain infection caused by the amoeba , but an experimental drug from the CDC has shown promise in fighting it . Kali Hardig , a 12-year-old in Arkansas , survived after contracting the amoeba in July , possibly at a Little Rock , Arkansas , water park . CNN 's Eliott C. McLaughlin and David SImpson contributed to this report .
Brain-eating amoeba found in DeSoto Parish . The amoeba, which is not dangerous to humans, was discovered by a local resident who noticed the unusual growth on his lawn. Parish will flush system with extra chlorine for 60 days . Health officials say water safe to drink , but it keep it away from nasal passages .