During earlier outbreaks, some local bodies installed in kerala plates near the ponds to alert the public. | Photo Credit: Nirmal Harindran
Kozhikode, Kerala, issued a warning against the primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in the district with regard to reporting three cases of infection and death here in recent days.
The district physician of KK Rajaram said on Monday that although the mortality of this rare brain infection was very high, it would not be transferred from man to humans. Pam is caused by Naegleria fowleri, wild amoeba. People infect when they swim or bathe in stagnant waters. The amoeba enters the body through the nose and reaches the brain. Children could be more vulnerable because their cribriform board, which separates the nasal cavity and skull, has multiple porous openings compared to adults. Another route of infection is through the ear drum.
Dr. Rajaram said that symptoms such as severe headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck and light sensitivity appear within five to 10 days from the amoeba entering the brain. Children can also refuse food, do not go to play and generally lie on the bed without moving their body. Memory disappearance, epilepsy and fainting are indications that infection is heavy. Those looking for a medical treatment of fever must inform the doctor if they have ever bathed in ponds or stagnating water points.
Officials of the medical department have suggested that swimming and bathing in stagnant or non -hygienic water sources should be avoided and nose clips could be used in swimming. Those who have undergone surgery on the nose and ears should not go into the waters. Wells, ponds, swimming pools, including those in water amusement parks, must be chlorinated at regular intervals.
Meanwhile, in the intensive care unit, a three -month -old child and a forty -year -old man who underwent Pam’s treatment in the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode. The presence of amoeba was reportedly detected in the water source next to the baby’s house. In Thamarassery, awareness is done where a nine -year -old child has recently died in Thamarasse.
Published – August 18, 2025 9:13
