A teenager died in Kerala’s Alappuzha district on Friday after contracting a rare brain infection caused by free-living amoebae found in contaminated water, according to state Health Minister Veena George. The 15-year-old from nearby Panavalli in the Alappuzha district was infected with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis.
Confirming the boy’s death, the minister stated that the state has previously documented five occurrences of the unusual virus. The first was in 2016, followed by others in 2019, 20, and 22, she told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. Fever, headache, vomiting, and seizures are the most common symptoms of the condition. “All of the infected patients had died,” Minister explained.
According to doctors, the human brain becomes infected when free-living, non-parasitic amoeba bacteria enter the body via the nose. Given the severity of the disease, local health officials have recommended residents to avoid bathing in contaminated water.
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