Health Highlights: Aug 31, 2015

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Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Neurologist and Author Dr. Oliver Sacks Dead at 82

Renowned neurologist and author Dr. Oliver Sacks died Sunday at age 82.

He died at his home in New York City, according to his assistant Kate Edgar, the Associated Press reported.

In February, Sacks revealed that he had a rare eye cancer that had spread to his liver.

Sacks offered new insights into the workings of the human brain and wrote a number of books, including “Awakenings,” which was made into an Oscar-nominated movie starring Robin Williams, the AP reported.

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Texas Teen Killed by Brain-Eating Amoeba

A 14-year-old Texas teen has died from infection with a brain-eating amoeba.

Michael John Riley Jr. was infected with the Naegleria fowleri amoeba while swimming at Sam Houston State Park on Aug. 13, CNN reported.

Riley was a star athlete who qualified for the Junior Olympics three times in track.

Naegleria fowleri is typically found in warm fresh water such as lakes, rivers and hot springs. It enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain. Infections with the amoeba are rare but usually fatal, CNN reported.

In the past 53 years, about 133 cases of Naegleria fowleri infections have been documented in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those patients, only three survived.

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