A team of experts from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai and the state health department have completed their field visits in Kozhikode district as part of a study on the recent increase in cases of amoebic meningoencephalitis in Kerala.
As of Oct. 31, the state has reported 153 confirmed cases of infection and 33 deaths. The ICMR-NIE study focuses on Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts, which accounted for the majority of cases in 2024 and this year.
Sources said the team reached Kozhikode on October 27 and held talks with the authorities at the Government Medical College Hospital. They started visiting the homes of infected people on October 28. In five days, the team visited 75 houses in places like Velliparamba, Omassery, Annassery, Naduvannur, Kizhakkoth, Pantheerankavu, Nallalam and Vengalam. This includes the homes of 15 infected people and four others near them. The team was divided into three groups, which also included doctors from the community medicine department at Kozhikode MCH, epidemiologists and members of the district surveillance office. They spoke with family members of the infected and took water samples from the premises.
Published – 02 Nov 2025 20:04 IST
