E-Paper
Kerala woman dies of amoebic encephalitis, fifth death in 1 month
The woman, identified as Shobhana, succumbed to the rare but fatal infection at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (MCH) where she had been admitted last week. Hospital officials said she was in a critical condition
Kochi: A 56-year-old woman from Thiruvali near Wandoor in Malappuram district succumbed to amoebic meningoencephalitis on Monday, the fifth such fatality in Kerala in the space of a month.
The woman, identified as Shobhana, succumbed to the rare but fatal infection at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (MCH) where she had been admitted last week. Hospital officials said she was in a critical condition.
11 persons are undergoing treatment currently for the infection at the Kozhikode MCH, said officials.
On September 6, Ratheesh (45), a native of Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad, succumbed to the infection. In the last week of August, two persons including a three-month-old infant, had also died as a result of the disease. On August 14, a nine-year-old girl from Thamarassery died at the Kozhikode MCH.
Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is caused by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living, ‘brain-eating’ amoeba species that resides in stagnant fresh water and soil beneath water bodies like ponds, wells and lakes. The amoeba enters the human body through the nose when a person swims or dives directly into water bodies, especially those with stagnant water. The amoeba reaches the brain after travelling through the pores in the thin layer that separates the nose and brain. Symptoms that emerge within 5-10 days of infection are commonly headache, fever, vomiting, nausea, and inability to look at bright light. The amoeba is known to destroy brain tissues and cause swelling, eventually resulting in death. The infection is rare but deadly, with a global fatality rate of 97 percent.
In August, the Kerala health department ordered state-wide cleaning and chlorination of wells as part of bid to tackle the deadly infection.
