Third Death: Deadly Brain-Eating Amoeba Claims Another Life In Kozhikode
Raising worries further, a third death from the fatal brain-eating amoeba – Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, has been reported in Kerala. A 12-year-old boy, Mridul from Ramanattukara, admitted to a hospital in Kozhikode on June 24 after showing odd symptoms, died due to the infection on Wednesday night. The boy was in critical condition under ventilator support after being suspected of the rare amoebic meningoencephalitis. He had developed symptoms including fever, headache and vomiting six days after taking a bath in a pond near his home.
Notably, After two children succumbed to the infection in the past two months, the amoeba has caused an alarm in the state. On June 12, another similar death was reported from Kerala’s Kannur. A 13-year-old girl succumbed to amoebic meningoencephalitis after she took a bath in a swimming pool during a school excursion to Munnar. Notably, the recently released biopsy report of the deceased girl confirmed the presence of amoebic meningoencephalitis caused by free-living amoeba Vermamoeba vermiformis.
On May 13, after reportedly taking a bath in the Munniyoor river near her house with family, a five-year-old girl from Kerala’s Malappuram died due to the same infection. The girl, named Fadva, developed symptoms such as headache and vomiting, ending up in ventilator support after her condition deteriorated.
The rising cases of amoebic meningoencephalitis are creating worry among locals, especially when children are more exposed to ponds, river and water sources during the ongoing monsoon. After the boy’s suspected infection of the brain-eating bacteria, Ramanattukara municipality had closed the pond and conducted super chlorination.
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Amoebic Meningoencephalitis is mostly connected to bathing or swimming in contaminated waters, potentially exposing to amoeba, which is commonly found in soil or polluted water. When people take a bath or swim in water with amoeba and then they travel to the brain, causing damage to the tissue. The infection can happen quickly with severe fatality, if not treated properly.
