Thiruvananthapuram

A nine-year-old girl from Kozhikode recently died after contracting the deadly “brain-eating amoeba,” leaving her mother devastated. “I cannot believe my daughter is gone,” she said, adding that authorities have not clarified how the child became infected. The girl is one of 19 people in Kerala who have died in recent months from Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare but almost always fatal brain infection caused by the microscopic parasite Naegleria fowleri.

This parasite thrives in warm freshwater, including ponds, lakes, rivers, and poorly maintained swimming pools. While swallowing the water does not cause illness, the amoeba can enter through the nose, travel to the brain, and cause rapid inflammation and tissue destruction. Symptoms start with fever, headache, nausea, and stiff neck, quickly progressing to confusion, seizures, coma, and death within one to two weeks. PAM is often misdiagnosed as bacterial meningitis, and by the time the correct diagnosis is made, treatment is usually too late.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said the first PAM case in the state was reported in 2016, and guidelines have been issued to help doctors respond faster. Diagnostic facilities are now available locally, and hospitals are instructed to suspect PAM in patients with sudden meningitis-like symptoms after freshwater exposure. Treatment is extremely challenging, requiring a combination of powerful drugs and therapies to reduce brain swelling.

Experts stress prevention as the best defense. People should avoid stagnant or poorly maintained water, use nose clips if swimming, flush garden hoses, maintain swimming pools, and use boiled or filtered water for nasal rinses. Rising temperatures due to climate change may increase the parasite’s range, making awareness and caution vital to protect lives in Kerala.