‘Brain-eating amoeba’ cases increase in Kerala: What is it, how it spreads and how it remains safe. Sensible news

Last update:September 18, 2025, 09:03 IST

This year Kerala has confirmed more than 60 confirmation of primary amibic meningo sensesphilitis (PAM), including 19 deaths, including patients ranging from infants to the elderly.

Kerala has been facing one of its most dangerous health challenges in recent years: a sudden spike in matters of primary amybic meningo ,cellitis (PAM), a rare but malignant brain infection caused by the so -called “brain eating amoeba”. In 2025 alone, the state has reported 69 cases and 19 deaths confirmedThis growth is striking, in view of less than 10 cases, information was given up to 2023 in six years.

State Health Minister Veena George called it “severe public health concern”, indicating that the infections are no longer limited to bunches in Kozhikode and Malappuram, but are now surfasing sporadicly across the state. Patients reveal from a three -month -old baby to a 91 -year -old baby, which complicates efforts to detect and include cases.

What is really ‘brain-eating amoeba’ infection?

Primary amybic meningo encephalitis is a rare infection caused by the brain Naglaria fouliA microbe is found in warm freshwater and soil. Popularly dubbed the “brain-eating amoeba”, it invades the brain tissue and causes rapid inflammation, often causing death within days.

According to a document from the Government of Kerala, PAM affects the central nervous system. It is most often seen in healthy children, adolescents and young adults. The infection destroys the brain tissue, causing severe inflammation and the survival rate is very low.

How does an infection occur?

People cannot get palm by drinking contaminated water, and the disease does not spread from person to another. The infection occurs when water containing amoeba enters the nose, usually when bathing in swimming, divers or untreated freshwater. From there, the amoeba travels with olfactory veins, crosses the cribriform plate at the base of the skull and reaches the brain.

Jeeva thrives in stable freshwater like ponds, lakes and rivers. It has also been found in poorly created swimming pools and inadequately chlorinated domestic tanks. As Indian expressMany water sources in Kerala, including wells and ponds, contain high -level coliform bacteria from sewage and waste. It provides abundant food for amoeba, allowing it to flourish in warm water.

Other free-lived amoeba, solitudeoaba and Balamuthia, can also cause brain infections, although these granulomatus develops gradually from weeks or months in the form of amyboic encephalitis. Unlike Pam, which moves rapidly, these cases often become uncontrolled until too late.

what are the symptoms?

Symptoms of Pam are similar to bacterial meningitis, which makes the diagnosis difficult. They usually appear between one and nine days after the risk and may develop intensely within hours.

The first signals include headaches, fever, nausea and vomiting. As the infection progresses, patients may experience a rigid neck, confusion, seizures, hallucinations, loss of balance and eventually slipping into a coma.

The CDC warns that most patients die within one to 18 days after the symptoms begin, often due to severe brain inflammation. The health department of Kerala has echoed this, given that as long as other common causes of meningitis are denied, the palm is usually very advanced to treat the work.

Why is Kerala watching more cases now?

Kerala reported its first PAM case in 2016, but until last year was rare, when 36 cases and nine deaths were confirmed. This year’s growth has doubled the figure in which 69 cases and 19 deaths are already on record.

Two factors are increasing the increase. First, climate change and rising temperatures have made stable freshwater bodies more hospitalized for amoeba, while heatwaves are running more people to use them for bathing and swimming. As the state health department warned, climate change is increasing the possibility of encounters with this pathogen.

Second, poor water hygiene is reducing risk. Many ponds and wells in Kerala are rich in bacteria with sewage and waste, causing the right environment for amoeba.

How fatal is the infection?

Globally, the deadly rate of PAM is about 97 percent. In Kerala, however, this year the mortality rate is about 24 percent, lower than the global average. This is largely due to sharp diagnosis and more aggressive treatment.

Indian express It is said that in August, an eight-year-old child, siblings of two children, who died of the disease, were recently recovered. Their existence provides rare hope in a disease that has claimed that he infects almost every patient.

What are the doctors using for treatment?

There is no standard treatment for Pam. Almost all known people around the world were diagnosed before reaching the brain of infection, which highlights the importance of early identity.

Doctors in Kerala are using a combination of drugs, including amphotericine B, rifampin, miltophosine, azithromycin, fluconazole and dexamethasone. A parasitic drug, Miltiphocin has been linked to rare survivor affairs worldwide, and its initial use has contributed to Kerala’s recent recovery. However, the state government has admitted that the rarity of the disease, its full clinical course, and the difficulty of rapid diagnosis have obstructed the evaluation of drug residence.

Following the outbreak of Nipah of 2023, doctors in Kerala were instructed to examine all cases of meningo infections for amybic infection. “If they find amoeba, they will start treatment for amybic meningo encephalitis. The initial detection could save life,” said Minister Veena George.

What precautions are being advised?

Given the lack of a reliable treatment, prevention is important. Health officials have issued detailed guidance:

• Avoid swimming or bathing in untreated or stable freshwater bodies like ponds and lakes.
• When floating in fresh water, use the nose clip or keep the head above the water.
• Rinsing for nose or for religious rituals Water netiUse only boiled and cold, distilled or sterile water.
• Ensure that swimming pools, wells and domestic tanks are regularly clean and properly chlorinated.
• Avoid exposing open wounds for untreated water or soil, and use waterproof straps if necessary.
• Contact lens users are recommended to use sterile, commercially prepared solutions to prevent Essenthamoba-related eye infections.

The State Health Department, in collaboration with the National Center for Disease Control, is carrying out the test of environmental samples and water sources. Hospitals are kept cautiously, and awareness drives are running so that the people of risks can be warned.

What is the indication of Kerala’s cases

In August alone, a three -month -old baby, a 52 -year -old woman and a nine -year -old girl died of Palm in Kozhikode, which suggests how the infection is not an age group. State officials have launched a “Water is Life” chlorination drive to disinfect well well wells, tanks and public bathing areas along with awareness campaigns during the monsoon.

The pattern is not limited to Kerala. India registered their first Palm case in 1971 with sporadic deaths at Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and other places, and Kerala’s first confirmed deadly came in 2016. There is a sudden spike in both cases to separate the current and rare recovery achieved through early use of drugs such as multphocin.

These lessons point to a comprehensive warning. Warmer waters and sewage-fed bacteria are helping to flourish the amoeba, while rituals clean the risk with practices such as uninterrupted or untreated water, increasing the risk. Kerala’s relatively low fatal rate compared to 24 percent of the global average of 97 percent indicates that vigilance, monitoring and quick treatment can save life. But this trend also explains how climate change and unsafe water systems are once more common in rare infections. Stopping them will depend on strong water security measures, medical readiness and community awareness.

Read more