Oommen Chandy government ignored 2013 study conducted on amoebic meningoencephalitis: Health Minister Veena George sparks controversy

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister Veena George's Facebook post, which alleged that a study was conducted on amoebic meningoencephalitis in 2013 and that the then Oommen Chandy government did not pay attention to it, has become controversial. The criticism is that this study report was published in 2018 during the first Pinarayi government, and that the minister blamed the UDF government by hiding that truth. Most of the criticism is in the comments below the minister's Facebook post.

This is a study report conducted by Dr Anna Cherian and Dr R Jyothi of the Microbiology Department of the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram. Minister Veena George wrote on Facebook that the report was discovered by doctors from the State Medical Board the other day. The minister added that she then called the doctors and asked for information.

Following the social media post, some doctors and social health activists came forward, pointing out that the report was published in 2018. They point out that the study report is not about amoebic encephalitis but about cases of 'corneal ulcers' that affect the eye. Although the cause of this was found to be an amoeba, critics say that it was not confirmed that the amoeba 'Naegleria fowleri', which causes amoebic encephalitis, was the cause.

The minister is accused of sharing the research paper published by the Indian Journal of Microbiology on Facebook, changing the year 2018 and the name of the journal. However, the minister is standing firm on her stand.