Kerala Battles Deadly Brain-Eating Amoeba as Cases Rise

This year in Kerala, over 70 people have been diagnosed with brain-eating amoeba infections, resulting in 19 deaths. Patients have ranged in age from a three-month-old infant to a 92-year-old man.

The amoeba normally feeds on bacteria in warm freshwater but can cause primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) when it enters the nose during swimming which can rapidly destroys brain tissue and is usually fatal.

A new study found that since 1962, only 488 cases have been reported worldwide, mostly in the US, Pakistan, and Australia. The study also revealed a 95% fatality rate among global victims.

Kerala began reporting cases in 2016, initially just one or two each year, and almost all were fatal. Survival has since improved with better detection and treatment, with 39 cases last year and a reduced fatality rate of 23%.

"Cases are rising but deaths are falling. Aggressive testing and early diagnosis have improved survival - a strategy unique to Kerala," said Aravind Reghukumar, head of infectious diseases at the Medical College and Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, the state's capital.

Scientists have identified around 400 species of free-living amoebae, but only six can cause human disease. In Kerala, public health labs can now detect the five major pathogenic types of amoebae.

Kerala has nearly 5.5 million wells and 55,000 ponds, and millions of people rely on wells for daily water use. Local governments have installed signboards warning against bathing in ponds and enforce chlorination of pools and tanks under the Public Health