This Week's WTH: That Is One Scary Amoeba Edition

(CNN) -- It's eerie but it's true: Three people have died this summer after suffering rare infections from a waterborne amoeba that destroys the brain.

This is the time of year when there is an uptick in cases. The amoebas flourish in the heat -- especially during the summer months in the South, thriving in warm waters where people swim.

Health officials usually record about two to three cases in a given year -- 1980 was the highest with eight deaths. And most of the time, they occur in children and teenagers.

I will never swim again without thinking of this.  Holy cow.  Small percentage doesn't matter when you are the one stricken.  I am a bit embarrassed that I had not read about this before now.

Worst quote ever:

But when an amoeba gets lodged into a person's nose, it starts looking for food. It ends up in the brain and starts eating neurons.

"It causes a great deal of trauma and a great deal of damage," Yoder said. "It's a tragic infection. It's right at the frontal lobe. It affects behavior and the core of who they are -- their emotions, their ability to reason -- it's very difficult."

It destroys who you are in the most fundamental sense.  While it is not the scariest thing I have ever read about, it's a strong candidate for ickiest.