Another case of amoebic meningoencephalitis reported in Kerala; new case reported in Bathery

KOZHIKODE: Kerala has reported another case of amoebic meningoencephalitis. The latest patient is a 45-year-old man from Bathery, Wayanad, who is receiving treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. This brings the total number of patients being treated for the infection at the hospital to seven. A 47-year-old patient at the same hospital was also confirmed with the disease yesterday.

Recently, a 7-year-old child in Kozhikode was diagnosed with amoebic meningoencephalitis. The 7-year-old is the brother of 9-year-old Anaya from Thamarassery, who died from the disease. The child had also bathed in a pond near their home. On August 14, Anaya, the daughter of Sanoop, died from amoebic meningoencephalitis after swimming in the same pond along with her siblings about three weeks ago. According to the health department, the pond is suspected to be the source of the infection.

On Wednesday, an 11-year-old child from Chelari, Malappuram, was also diagnosed with the disease and is now being treated at Kozhikode Medical College. The child, suffering from a high fever, was admitted to the hospital, and samples were collected at night after observing symptoms. Tests were conducted at the Microbiology Lab of the Medical College, and health experts said that investigations to identify the source of the infection will be carried out soon.