Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba”.
Credit: cdc.gov
Thiruvananthapuram: With a five year old child at Malappuram district in Kerala being diagnosed of Amoebic meningoencephalitis infection, the state health authorities have initiated measures like testing the water of a river from which the child was suspected to have contracted the infection.
Around 15 persons who took bath in the river in the recent days are also kept under surveillance.
The rare brain infection which is considered to be fatal was reported in Kerala last year also. A 15 year old boy died of the infection at Alappuzha district last year.
The disease was also reported at Alappuzha district in 2016, Malappuram in 2019 and 2020, Kozhikode in 2020 and Thrissur in 2022.
The amoeba, which is referred to as brain-eating amoeba, normally enters the human body through soft tissues of the nose from contaminated water. Fever, headache, vomiting and seizures are the symptoms.
Health Minister Veena George said that all possible treatments were being given to the infected child. Possibilities of getting effective medicines from foreign countries were also being explored.
The child took a bath at a river close to his house at Moonniyur in Malappuram on May 1. From May 10 the child became ill with fever, vomiting and dizziness. Others who took bath in the river during those days are also under surveillance.