AMEBIC MENINGOENCEPHALITIS, PRIMARY – INDIA: (KERALA)
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Thu 11 Jul 2024
Source: ABP News Bureau [edited]
https://tinyurl.com/yc28wtn6
A 12-year-old boy from Padoor, Thrissur, has been diagnosed with
amoebic meningitis, marking the fifth case in Kerala within the past 2
months. The young patient, who is in Class 7, has shown significant
health improvements despite the initial severity of his condition.
According to the Thrissur District Medical Officer, the boy was on
ventilator support in June [2024] but is now stable and under ongoing
treatment at a hospital in Kochi. The boy contracted a less severe
strain of the brain-eating amoeba, identified as Vermamoeba
vermiformis, after his cerebrospinal fluid was tested in Puducherry,
according to a report on Manorama.
The boy first sought medical help for fever at a primary health centre
on June 1 [2024]. As his condition worsened, he was transferred to a
private medical college in Thrissur and then to the Government Medical
College Hospital. Despite extensive investigations, the source of the
infection remains unknown, as the boy had not been swimming in any
natural water bodies.
Kerala has reported 5 cases of amoebic meningitis over the last 2
months. Last Friday [5 Jul 2024], a 14-year-old boy in Kozhikode was
diagnosed with the infection and is currently receiving treatment.
Unfortunately, 3 other children who were infected earlier did not
survive, as reported by Deccan Herald. A 5-year-old girl from
Malappuram succumbed on May 21 [2024], a 13-year-old girl from Kannur
on June 25 [2024], and a 12-year-old boy from Kozhikode on July 4
[2024].
What is amoebic meningoencephalitis?