ALAPPUZHA: A 15-year-old from Panavally in Alappuzha has been diagnosed with a rare disease. The child was diagnosed with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. No further information about the patient has been released.

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a disease that seriously affects the brain is caused when amoeba, which lives freely in water, enter the body through our nose when we bathe in a pool or a pond.This disease was first reported in Alappuzha Municipality in 2017.

Symptoms of this disease include fever, headache, vomiting and seizures. The district health department officials have instructed to avoid bathing in contaminated water.