Given the growing cases of amoebic meningoencephalitis in Kerala, the CWRDM Center (CWRDM) based on Kozhikode voluntarily tested water resources for amoeba causing disease.
Manoj Samuel, Executive Director of CWRDM, told Hindu on Friday that he had submitted a proposal to another main secretary and the director of the medical services in this sense and the reaction was positive. CWRDM awaits official communication in this respect.
“We have the necessary equipment to perform this test that cannot be performed in each laboratory. We have the necessary equipment to perform a reverse transcript test of polymerase chain reactions in real time (RT-PCR) and qualified test staff,” Samuel said. However, CWRDM will need the state to pass the test protocol and issue the necessary authorities, except for passing Nuans.
“This is a sector where CWRDM expertise could be used,” he said.
Preventive step
Sreejith VN, a microbiologist and a scientist in CWRDM, said that the test is currently taking place only in the state laboratory of public health in Thiruvananthapuram and probably at the University of Mahatma Gandhi. CWRDM scientists need training in one of these laboratories before they start testing amoeba. “We are testing water samples, not clinical samples, and therefore the concentration of amoeba, if exists, will be relatively low and not easily distinguished. We need to know what kind of amoeba is to look for and its permissible concentration. The state health department must share these details,” he said. Mr. Sreejith said the test would fit as a preventive step. “Once the amoeba is detected, the amoeba can be alleviated to some extent by chlorination. However, some forms of amoebs are immune to chlorination,” he added.
Published – 26 September 2025 20:01 IS IS
