After Kerala recorded its third death due to amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare brain disease, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired a meeting to discuss preventive measures, especially for children.
CM Vijayan advised that children are more prone to this brain disease and should avoid bathing in unclean water and exercise caution when entering any water bodies. He stressed that swimming pools must be well chlorinated to prevent the spread of the disease, which is caused by a free-living amoeba found in contaminated water.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George attended the meeting and assured that steps would be taken to prevent the disease from spreading.
Previously, two deaths were recorded in the Kannur and Malappuram districts. A 14-year-old boy named Mridul from Kozhikode died this month after being admitted to a private hospital on June 24. He contracted the infection and was under treatment before he passed away.
The amoeba, commonly referred to as the “brain-eating amoeba,” typically infects people through contaminated freshwater, entering the body via the nose and then migrating to the brain. It feeds on nerve tissue, causing inflammation. The disease is not transmitted from person to person.
SYMPTOMS OF INFECTION
Early symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. As the disease progresses, symptoms may include a stiff neck, confusion, seizures, hallucinations, coma, and inattention to people and surroundings. Symptoms typically begin within 1 to 12 days after exposure to contaminated water and can develop rapidly, often becoming fatal within 5 to 18 days after they appear.
