29-year-old from Palakkad confirmed of amoebic encephalitis

PALAKKAD: One more person has been confirmed of amoebic encephalitis. The disease was confirmed on 29-year-old from Palakkad. 17 people have died of amoebic encephalitis in the state this year. The figures in this regad have been released by the health department. So far this year, 66 people have been diagnosed with the disease. Of the 19 patients diagnosed with the disease this month, seven have died. There are more than 15 patients undergoing treatment at Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram Medical Colleges presently.

Amoebic infection or amoebic meningoencephalitis occurs when pathogens from the amoebae genus Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba, Sapinia, Balamuthia, and Vermeiba infect the brain. The disease is usually contracted by people who swim or dive in stagnant water. The amoebae enter the brain through the pores in the thin membrane that separates the nose and brain or through the holes in the eardrum.

This disease has a mortality rate of more than 97 percent. The disease is not transmitted from person to person. Symptoms appear within five to 10 days of infection.