5-Year-Old dies from rare brain infection at Kozhikode MCH

Five-year-old Fadwa PP, diagnosed with Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, a rare and severe disease, passed away at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital on Monday night. Fadwa, daughter of P. P. Hassan Koya and Fasna from Munniyoor in Malappuram, had been receiving treatment at the Institute of Maternal and Child Health under the medical college since May 13. Despite efforts to obtain miltefosine, an essential medicine, she remained on ventilator support for over a week. Fadwa, a nursery student at Kaliyattamukku AMLP School, is survived by her mother and two siblings, with her funeral scheduled for Tuesday at Kaliyattamukku Juma Masjid.

Believed to have contracted the infection after bathing in the Kadalundi River, Fadwa’s case triggered tests on four other children who bathed with her on May 1, all of which yielded negative results. Initially admitted to a private hospital in Malappuram due to fever and headache, Fadwa was later transferred to Kozhikode Medical College for further treatment.

Amoebic meningoencephalitis is caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba commonly found in rivers, lakes, and hot springs. Suspected to have entered Fadwa’s body while swimming, the amoeba can migrate to the brain through the nose, leading to damage of brain tissues. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, stiff neck, headache, hallucinations, and seizures, with the infection typically proving fatal, though few cases of survival have been reported. Naegleria fowleri, known as the “brain-eating amoeba,” thrives in warm, freshwater bodies and can survive in hot springs, warm water from industrial sources, and inadequately maintained swimming pools, but not in saltwater environments.