Brother of victim test positive for amoebic infection in Kerala

KOZHIKODE: Health authorities on Thursday confirmed a new case of amoebic meningoencephalitis (AME), commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba, in the younger brother of nine-year-old Anaya, who recently died of the disease. The seven-year-old boy, whose name has not been disclosed, tested positive and is now undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital, where his condition is stable. The new case brings the total number of patients currently under treatment for the disease at the hospital to four. Anaya and her brother, residents of Thamarassery, had reportedly bathed in a pond near their home, a likely source of infection. This is a grave situation, and we are mobilising all our resources to contain the spread, said Dr K K Rajaram, Kozhikode District Medical Officer. The disease appearing in a cluster indicates a potential common source of infection. We have initiated a comprehensive survey of water bodies in the affected areas, including the pond near the residence of Anaya at Thamarassery, to identify the specific source, he said. On Wednesday, an 11-year-old girl from Chenakkalangadi, Malappuram, was diagnosed with AME. She had bathed in a stream near her house and a pool near a turf field at Kayantha, Kozhikode. Water samples from both sites are being tested. Other patients currently receiving treatment include a three-month-old infant from Omassery in critical condition on a ventilator and a 49-year-old man from Annassery, whose health status remains unchanged.