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Spurt in amoebic encephalitis cases due to increased testing: Kerala health minister
AME is primarily caused by free-living amoeba residing in fresh and stagnant water and in the soil beneath water sources like wells, ponds and lakes. The amoeba enters the human body through the nose when one swims or dives straight into the water body, reaches the brain and causes destruction and swelling of brain tissues, eventually resulting in death
Kochi: Kerala health minister Veena George on Wednesday attributed the rise in the number of amoebic meningoencephalitis (AME) cases in the state this year to aggressive testing.
Her statement came in response to an adjournment debate motion moved by UDF MLA N Shamsudheen in the Assembly on the spurt in AME cases. This year, as per the statistics of the state health department until September 16, there have been 69 cases and 19 deaths. Most of the deaths have been reported in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in north Kerala.
AME is primarily caused by free-living amoeba residing in fresh and stagnant water and in the soil beneath water sources like wells, ponds and lakes. The amoeba enters the human body through the nose when one swims or dives straight into the water body, reaches the brain and causes destruction and swelling of brain tissues, eventually resulting in death. Globally, Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), spread by Naegleria fowleri, has a fatality rate of 97%.
The health minister said in the Assembly, “The first case of AME in Kerala was reported in the year 2016. In the few years since then, there have been one or two cases every year. It was after the 2023 Nipah outbreak that we decided to test all Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) cases for the presence of amoeba too on the viral panel. Studies say that in India, in 70% of the AES cases, the source of infection is not being detected. In Kerala, all microbiology labs in all districts can currently test for amoebic presence in fluid samples.”
“Amoebic meningoencephalitis cases are there in other Indian states too, but they are not being detected. In Kerala, we are able to not only detect these cases on time, but we are able to save the lives of those patients through treatment protocols,” she said.
George said Kerala is the first state in India to form guidelines for amoebic meningoencephalitis infection in 2024. “The same year, we also released technical guidelines. We have developed a treatment protocol and conducting lab examinations. Very soon, we will start PCR testing at the lab in Kozhikode to detect which kind of amoeba is causing the infection,” she added.
She claimed that while the global fatality rate for PAM is 97%, the state health department has been able to bring it down to 24% with the help of early detection.
The health minister was responding to the UDF’s allegations that the state government was ‘stumbling in the dark’ with respect to managing AME cases. The UDF members walked out of the Assembly in the middle of the health minister’s response over her remarks about Shamsudheen, the MLA who moved the motion.
The House finally rejected the motion to suspend Assembly proceedings to discuss the issue.
