A brain-eating amoeba is in tap water in St. Bernard Parish, which is mere miles from downtown New Orleans. Louisiana's Department of Health & Hospitals issued a statement that the deadly Naegleria fowleri amoeba, which was first detected in St. Bernard Parish two years ago, was once again lurking in the water supply.

Two of seven sites checked in the St. Bernard Parish Water System tested positive for the amoeba.

Not to worry, though. The water is safe to drink, said officials, and infections are extremely rare.

Still, health officials urged residents to avoid getting tap water in their noses.

"As Naegleria fowleri infections are extremely rare, testing for this amoeba in public drinking water is still relatively new and evolving," officials said in a statement. "Fewer than 10 deaths in the United States have been traced back to the amoeba, with three occurring in Louisiana over the last several years."

The amoeba is found in fresh water, but is killed with chlorine. However, the bacteria was present even though the water met chlorination standards. In response, officials are adding extra chlorine to the water.

The department gave the following steps issued by the CDC that residents should take as precautionary measures to reduce their risk of becoming infected by Naegleria fowerli:

• DO NOT allow water to go up your nose or sniff water into your nose when bathing, showering, washing your face, or swimming in small hard plastic/blow-up pools.

• DO NOT jump into or put your head under bathing water (bathtubs, small hard plastic/blow-up pools); walk or lower yourself in.

• DO NOT allow children to play unsupervised with hoses or sprinklers, as they may accidentally squirt water up their nose. Avoid slip-n-slides or other activities where it is difficult to prevent water going up the nose.

• DO run bath and shower taps and hoses for five minutes before use to flush out the pipes. This is most important the first time you use the tap after the water utility raises the disinfectant level.

• DO keep small hard plastic/blow-up pools clean by emptying, scrubbing and allowing them to dry after each use.

• DO use only boiled and cooled, distilled or sterile water for making sinus rinse solutions for neti pots or performing ritual ablutions.

• DO keep your swimming pool adequately disinfected before and during use.

• If you need to top off the water in your swimming pool with tap water, place the hose directly into the skimmer box and ensure that the filter is running. Do not top off the pool by placing the hose in the body of the pool.