Lake Nasworthy Not Contaminated by Flesh-Eating Parasite

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS -- A few days ago, a member of a Swap and Sell Facebook group posted a statement warning citizens of entering any nearby bodies of water, especially Lake Nasworthy, due to a parasitic contamination. In a statement from the city's health department, no such contamination has been found. 

The Facebook post reads, " Y'all please do not swim in our lake ... one of my close friends was swimming about 2 weeks ago at Lake Nasworthy and she's been to the hospital 3 times, since then. ... Well todays she's having emergency surgery on her brain cause a parasite went to her brain and has layed eggs and they don't know if she will survive ... please please please don't swim or take ur kids to swim at our lake. The high temperature is causing our water to be contaminated ..." 

Another user posted on Sunday evening that they had been sick two weeks and went to an ER three times and to a doctor once for excruciating pain. However, the post ended saying that the Facebook user had been misdiagnosed but was still headed to surgery for an infection that was "eating [the poster's] skin." 

LIVE! reached out to city officials with the Health Department to see if the claims of contaminated water in the area were true or false. 

Health Director Sandra Villarreal said, "The Health Department has not received any reports of a parasitic infection from any of the medical providers." Per state law,  Viallarreal stated, if a confirmed parasitic case came through one of San Angelo's hospitals, the medical providers would be required to report it to the City. 

Should a confirmed case emerge, the Health Department would take the steps necessary to put out a public notice alerting the public of any known risks. 

As for now, it does appear that Lake Nasworthy is safe to swim in!