Representative image of amoebic meningoencephalitis.
Credit: iStock Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala continues to be under the grip of amoebic meningoencephalitis with 42 cases of the rare infection being reported in Kerala so far this year with19 patients still under treatment.
The state can still heave a sigh of relief as it has managed to keep the mortality rate as low as only two so far this year, even as the mortality rate of the rare infection is generally considered to be over 95 percent. While early diagnosis is considered as a key reason, subacute variant is mostly found in the state.
According to health department sources, among the two types of amoebic encephalitis, Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) and Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), what is mostly reported in Kerala is GAE. So far five variants of amoeba were found in Kerala - Naegleria fowleri, Balamuthia mandrillaris, Acanthamoeba, Vermamoeba and Sappinia.
"PAM caused by Naegleria fowleri is considered as more acute than GAE that is caused by the other types. In Kerala the PAM cases were found to be low so far," director of health services Dr K J Reena told DH.
While experts point out that the chances of future medical complications could not be ruled out in any forms of meningoencephalitis, Dr Reena said that the health department used to do follow up among those recovered from amoebic meningoencephalitis and so far no further post disease issues were found among them.
The amoeba that enters the human body from contaminated water, mostly through the nose, will show symptoms like fever, headache, nausea and vomiting within five to ten days. It could lead to death from one to two weeks of infection. Many symptoms are indistinguishable from those of acute bacterial meningitis and hence the diagnosis often gets delayed and the infection affects the central nervous system.
"It was indeed a challenge for Kerala in dealing with amoebic meningoencephalitis as no concrete knowledge was available. The state health department was finalising the treatment modalities from its own experiences in dealing with the around 70 cases reported in the state over the last few years," said Dr. Aravind R, head of the infectious diseases department at Thiruvananthapuram government medical college.
As part of its efforts to contain the source of the infection, Kerala government has announced a clean-up drive on Saturday and Sunday (August 30 and 31) aimed at chlorinating all wells across the state and cleaning water tanks. Cleaning of water bodies was already being carried out. The source of infection in many cases were found to be from ponds and water bodies.