Rare Brain Eating Amoeba Kills Two In Kerala? Here is All You Need To Know

New Delhi: A brain eating amoeba has claimed lives of two children in Kerala within a span of one month, as per media reports. Doctors are strongly advising people to avoid swimming in lakes and other water bodies as the water there would be contaminated with a brain eating Amoeba. 

A 13-year-old girl identified as Dakshina died about a week ago after acquiring infection by the infection Amoebic encephalitis, caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba, as mentioned above while in May, a five-year-old girl, also from Kannur succumbed to the infection.

Meanwhile, a a 12-year-old boy from Kozhikode has been suspected of the disease after he displayed the symptoms of the amoebic infection. Two cases followed within days of a swim in a lake while in Dakshina’s case, it reportedly took several months to manifest.

As per doctors, exposure to contaminated water is a primary reason for infection from a brain-eating amoeba

“Amoebic encephalitis” is a rare but fatal central nervous system infection caused by free-living amoebae, “Naegleria fowleri amoeba”, also known as “brain-eating amoeba”, found in freshwater, lakes, and rivers.

Symptoms commonly include severe headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, seizures, hallucinations, sensitivity to light, and coma.

Antimicrobial therapy is the linchpin of the treatment yet the mortality rate is above 90 per cent.

The experts advised avoiding swimming, diving, or submerging, especially for people who are immunocompromised, to minimize the risk of contracting amoebic encephalitis from contaminated water.