Continued mystery over 'amoebic fever' death led to attack on doctor in Kerala

The accused, Sanoop, who lost his nine-year-old daughter to suspected amoebic meningoencephalitis, had shared his plight with DH ahead of the incident

Thiruvananthapuram: It was the prolonged mystery over the death of a nine-year-old girl that is believed to have resulted in the attack on a doctor at Kozhikode in Kerala by her father on Wednesday. 

Sanoop, 40, who attacked doctor P T Vipin at the Thamarassery government taluk hospital on Wednesday, had shared his concerns with DH just ahead of the incident. 

Sanoop's daughter Anaya died on August 14 following a brief illness. State health authorities had then stated that she died due to amoebic meningoencephalitis.

However, Sanoop and his wife, Rambeesha, had been lamenting that they had not received any report stating the cause of death of their daughter, even after nearly two months.

DH had visited Anaya's family last month as part of a ground reporting on amoebic meningoencephalitis deaths in the State, as well as the mysteries shrouding the source of infection in many cases.

On Tuesday (October 7) night, Sanoop rang up the DH reporter and said he had not received the postmortem report, and the family was highly disturbed over the mystery. Sanoop was also telling that a doctor at the Kozhikode medical college, where the postmortem examination was done, was even ruling out the chances of amoebic meningoencephalitis being the cause of death in Anaya's case.

On Wednesday at noon, he again called the DH reporter and asked if there was any information. Attempts made by DH to contact the Kozhikode district medical officer were not successful.

Hardly an hour later, Sanoop attacked Vipin. He barged into the taluk hospital and hacked him. The doctor's condition is now stated to be stable.

Sanoop was suspected to be planning to attack the hospital superintendent, and since he was not in the room, Vipin was attacked.

Government doctors across Kerala are staging a protest over the lack of security at hospitals. In Kozhikode, doctors are even keeping off from non-emergency services on Thursday.

Sanoop, who was held by the police, told the media that he wanted to know the reason for his daughter's death.

According to the family, Anaya was quite active till noon on August 13. By night, she developed a fever and started vomiting. She was taken to the Thamarassery taluk hospital the next morning. Her condition worsened by the afternoon, and she suffered seizures. Subsequently, she was rushed to the Kozhikode medical college hospital. But her life could not be saved. 

After subsequent tests, the State health authorities said she died due to amoebic meningoencephalitis.

Postmortem report yet to come out

There are unconfirmed reports that the postmortem examination did not find amoebic meningoencephalitis as the cause of death, but suspects viral encephalitis.

Anaya's family had alleged lapses on the part of Thamarassery hospital in giving due care and a delay in shifting her to the medical college hospital. Hence, the postmortem examination was done.

Even as Anaya as well as her two siblings were tested positive for Naegleria fowleri variant of amoeba that is considered highly acute, the water samples collected from a pond near her house and the pipe water of her house could only detect the presence of a less acute acanthamoeba variant. Her two siblings had recovered.

Local ward member Faseela Habeeb said the health authorities were yet to give a clear reply, even as there are hearsays that the cause of death of Anaya was not amoebic meningoencephalitis as per the post-mortem report.