<p>Thiruvananthapuram: A bid by Kerala Health Minister Veena George to blame the previous Congress-led UDF government for allegedly sitting on a study on amoebic meningoencephalitis cases seems to be boomeranging.</p><p>As amoebic meningoencephalitis cases in the state keep on increasing, the health minister tried to put up a defensive by stating that it was the left-front government that initiative measures to counter the infection and alleged that the the previous Congress-led United Democratic Front government sat on a study report on the infection.</p><p>However, it has now come to light that the study report was published only in 2018 when the CPM-led Left Democratic Front government was in power and K K Shailaja was the then health minister.</p>.One more amoebic meningoencephalitis death in Kerala in one month, toll over 6 in one month.<p>A study by microbiologists Anna Cherian and Jyothi R of the Thiruvananthapuram medical college on patients in 2013 found that out of the 350 cases with clinically diagnosed infective corneal ulcers, 314 had acanthamoeba, which is a free-living amoebae that causes amoebic meningoencephalitis. It was also pointed out that well water was the most common source of infection.</p><p>Sharing a copy of the study on social media the other day, the health minister said that the UDF government in power in 2013 did not act upon the study. </p><p>However, it later came to light that the study was published only in 2018, two years after the UDF lost power and the first Pinarayi Vijayan had come to power.</p><p>Meanwhile, with a 17-year-old student in Thiruvananthapuram testing positive for amoebic meningoencephalitis on Saturday, several people who used a swimming pool from which the student was suspected to have got the infection were advised to seek medical aid in case of any sorts of illness. </p>
<p>Thiruvananthapuram: A bid by Kerala Health Minister Veena George to blame the previous Congress-led UDF government for allegedly sitting on a study on amoebic meningoencephalitis cases seems to be boomeranging.</p><p>As amoebic meningoencephalitis cases in the state keep on increasing, the health minister tried to put up a defensive by stating that it was the left-front government that initiative measures to counter the infection and alleged that the the previous Congress-led United Democratic Front government sat on a study report on the infection.</p><p>However, it has now come to light that the study report was published only in 2018 when the CPM-led Left Democratic Front government was in power and K K Shailaja was the then health minister.</p>.One more amoebic meningoencephalitis death in Kerala in one month, toll over 6 in one month.<p>A study by microbiologists Anna Cherian and Jyothi R of the Thiruvananthapuram medical college on patients in 2013 found that out of the 350 cases with clinically diagnosed infective corneal ulcers, 314 had acanthamoeba, which is a free-living amoebae that causes amoebic meningoencephalitis. It was also pointed out that well water was the most common source of infection.</p><p>Sharing a copy of the study on social media the other day, the health minister said that the UDF government in power in 2013 did not act upon the study. </p><p>However, it later came to light that the study was published only in 2018, two years after the UDF lost power and the first Pinarayi Vijayan had come to power.</p><p>Meanwhile, with a 17-year-old student in Thiruvananthapuram testing positive for amoebic meningoencephalitis on Saturday, several people who used a swimming pool from which the student was suspected to have got the infection were advised to seek medical aid in case of any sorts of illness. </p>