SRINAGAR: Kerala has reported 19 deaths linked to the rare but fatal brain-eating amoeba infection so far this year, with more than 70 people diagnosed, health officials confirmed, according to multiple media reports.
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According to the state health department, as per NDTV, cases of Naegleria fowleri—a water-borne parasite that infects the brain—have been rising since the onset of the monsoon season. The amoeba typically enters the body through the nose when individuals bathe, swim, or wash in contaminated freshwater sources, leading to a condition known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
Officials said the infection is almost always fatal once symptoms appear, with a mortality rate exceeding 95 per cent globally. Patients usually develop high fever, severe headache, vomiting, and seizures within days of exposure.
Health authorities in Kerala have issued advisories urging the public to avoid swimming or bathing in stagnant water, and to use boiled or chlorinated water for nasal cleaning and household use. Special teams have been deployed in affected districts to monitor water quality and carry out awareness drives.
The state government has also directed hospitals to remain on high alert and ensure early diagnosis, though experts admit that treatment options are limited and rarely successful.
The outbreak has raised widespread concern among residents, particularly in rural areas where dependence on ponds, wells, and unregulated water sources remains high.kashmir life