Native of Malappuram confirmed of amoebic meningoencephalitis in state

KOZHIKODE: One more case of amoebic meningoencephalitis has been confirmed in the state. A six-year-old girl of Melmuri in Malappuram has been diagnosed with the disease. The girl was taken to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for fever last Saturday. Presently six people are undergoing treatment for amoebic infection in Kozhikode Medical College.

Amoebic encephalitis occurs when pathogens from the amoebae family Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba, Sapinia, Balamuthia, and Vermeiba infect the brain. The disease usually occurs in people who swim or bathe 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 %. The disease is not transmitted from person to person. Symptoms appear within five to ten days after infection.