Brain-Eating Amoeba Outbreak: 5 Deaths in Kerala, Health Department on High Alert
Kozhikode (The Uttam Hindu): A 56-year-old woman from Malappuram district has died of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a fatal brain infection, confirmed health officials on Monday. With the woman's death, the number of fatalities from the deadly brain-eating amoeba infection has risen to five in just a month, raising concerns among health officials in the state.
According to a local media report, the woman who died of the infection has been identified as M. Shobana, a resident of Wandoor in Malappuram. Her condition was not good since she was admitted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (KMCH) last Thursday (September 4); she was in an unconscious state. Health officials said that she was infected. Her symptoms were clearly visible. Despite providing intensive medical care, she did not show any improvement.
Recently, 45-year-old Ratheesh from Wayanad district (who was being treated at KMCH for over a week) succumbed to a brain infection. Health department data shows that the disease has claimed five lives in a month, including a three-month-old infant and a nine-year-old girl from Thamarassery in Kozhikode. The outbreak is most prevalent in Kozhikode, Malappuram and Wayanad districts, where a total of 42 confirmed cases have been reported this year.
In view of the rising number of infections, the Kerala Health Department has invoked the State Public Health Act to intensify preventive measures.
The department has launched a statewide water purification drive. Local bodies have been urged to clean wells, water tanks and other public water bodies. They have also banned swimming in stagnant water sources in the worst-affected areas.
Following a rise in infections in Kerala, especially in the northern part of the state, health authorities have issued a public advisory, stressing that early diagnosis is important and to seek medical advice immediately if symptoms like fever, severe headache and vomiting appear.
Amoebic encephalitis is a fatal central nervous system infection caused by Naegleria fowleri (also known as brain-eating amoeba), a free-living amoeba found in freshwater lakes and rivers. It can enter the body through the nose while swimming, bathing or rinsing the nose and rapidly travels to the brain, where it causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis.