Confirming the death of a 15-year-old boy from Alappuzha who was under treatment for primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare brain infection caused by amoeba, Health Minister Veena George sought to allay fears about the communicable nature of the disease.
The Minister said there had been five such cases of PAM infection reported in the State so far and all of the affected had succumbed to the infection. The disease was earlier reported from Alappuzha in 2016, Malappuram in 2019 and 2020, Kozhikode in 2020 and Thrissur in 2022.
An official press note on Friday quoting the Minister said the disease-causing amoeba thrived in stagnant waters and entered the body through the nose, ultimately infecting the brain and leading to encephailitis, thereby known as ‘brain-eating amoeba’. It is a rare infection, affecting one in tens of thousands of people, she said.
The press note said the victims of PAM exhibited symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting and epilepsy. The infection was mainly caused by swimming or bathing in contaminated waters.
Patient history revealed that the 15-year-old from Alappuzha who succumbed to the disease had taken a dip in a pond near his residence. Samples collected from the patient tested positive for PAM and they have been sent to JIPMER for further analysis, said Ms. George.
She said the Alappuzha district medical office had initiated precautionary measures in the wake of the confirmation of the disease. A medical team had visited the location and launched vector control activities and an awareness campign among local residents.
