On Wednesday, a 14-year-old boy from Kozhikode, Kerala, who was receiving treatment for an infection brought on by a brain-eating amoeba, passed away. It was determined that the illness was amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and frequently lethal brain infection brought on by a free-living amoeba that was discovered in tainted water. In Kerala, this was the third such fatality since May.
Kerala Boy Dies From Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba After Dip In Pond https://t.co/Ji8upP0AIs pic.twitter.com/qNvCkpusbj
— NDTV (@ndtv) July 4, 2024
On July 3, at 11:20 p.m., the youngster, EP Mridul, passed away, according to a Kerala State Health Department report released on Thursday. He supposedly took a swim in a pond before getting sick, which prompted authorities to warn people not to go near the pond. They also advised anyone who has bathed there recently to watch out for any signs. The Class 7 student’s death follows the deaths of two other kids from the districts of Kannur and Malappuram who had contracted amoebic meningoencephalitis earlier in the year.
What is MENINGOENCEPHALITIS AMOEBA?
A rare but serious brain infection known as amoebic meningoencephalitis is brought on by amoebae, namely “Naegleria fowleri” and “Acanthamoeba” species. Usually acquired through tainted freshwater, the amoeba—also known as the “brain-eating amoeba”—enters the body through the nose, migrates to the brain, where it feeds on nerve tissue and produces inflammation. There is no human-to-human transmission of this illness.
Signs and Symptoms of this Illness
Following exposure, headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, convulsions, changed mental status, and hallucinations are common symptoms that appear one to nine days later. Rapid disease progression frequently results in death within 1–12 days of the onset of symptoms.
Conclusion
According to medical professionals, the infection is caused by free-living, non-parasitic amoebae bacteria that enter the body through the nose after coming into contact with polluted water. Health officials have cautioned the public against amoebic meningoencephalitis. The Alappuzha district, which is seaside, had previously recorded cases of the sickness in 2017 and 2023.