Naegleria fowleri, commonly referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba”.
Credit: cdc.gov
Thiruvananthapuram: A third Amoebic meningoencephalitis infection case has been reported in Kerala in hardly two months time.
A 12-year old boy under treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode was tested positive for the rare infection, which is referred to as brain-eating amoeba.
Earlier this month a 13 year old girl hailing from Kannur died due to the infection. In May a five year old child at Malappuram succumbed to the infection.
Since the infection enters the human body through contaminated water, the state health authorities sounded alert against using ponds and rivers and asked swimming pool and water theme authorities to ensure proper water treatment.
In view of the spread of various infectious diseases, the state health authorities also made masks mandatory while visiting hospitals. A high-level meeting held by health minister Veena George reviewed the situations.
Last year a 15 year old boy died in Alappuzha district following the infection. The rare brain infection which is considered to be fatal was reported in Kerala in the earlier years also.
The amoeba normally enters the human body through soft tissues of the nose from contaminated water. Fever, headache, vomiting and seizures are the symptoms.