Another life lost as Thiruvananthapuram native succumbs to amoebic meningoencephalitis

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Brain-eating disease Amoebic meningoencephalitis claimed yet another life in Kerala on Tuesday. A 78-year-old woman from Pothencode, who was undergoing treatment at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, died today. The elderly woman was confirmed to be infected with the disease on the 16th of this month. The source of the disease is not yet clear. This morning, health workers visited the elderly woman's house in Pothencode and conducted tests. Water samples were also collected.

Last year, 38 people were infected with the disease, while this year alone, it surged to 129. So far this month, 41 people have been confirmed to have amoebic meningoencephalitis. Five deaths have been reported. More cases were reported in a single month this year than the cases reported during the entire previous year.

Amoebic meningoencephalitis occurs when pathogens from the amoebae genera Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba, Sappinia, Balamuthia, and Vermeiba infect the brain. The disease is usually contracted by people who swim or dive in stagnant water.

The amoeba enters the brain through the pores in the thin membrane that separates the nose and brain or through holes in the eardrum and causes the disease. It is a disease with a mortality rate of more than 97 percent. The disease is not transmitted from person to person. Once infected, symptoms appear within five to ten days.