Kerala health minister calls for caution over amoebic meningoencephalitis

T'puram: Health minister Veena George urged people to exercise caution as there is a possibility of an increase in amoebic meningoencephalitis cases during the summer.

She urged people to take a series of precautions, including avoiding bathing or washing their face in contaminated water, keeping water sources clean, chlorinating wells and tanks as per health workers' recommendations, chlorinating swimming pools, spas and water parks, avoiding swimming or diving in stagnant water, using a nose clip, never using unboiled or untreated water for nasal rinsing, not dumping waste into water bodies, and cleaning water storage tanks every three months.

The minister said that the quality of water in public places should be checked by the departments concerned, and necessary precautions should be taken.

The health department intensified monitoring, she said, and added those showing symptoms of meningitis should seek medical attention promptly. The main symptoms include severe and sudden fever, headache, vomiting, neck pain, loss of consciousness and difficulty seeing light.

All medical colleges in Kerala have the facility to detect amoebas in their microbiology departments, George said. "Facilities for species identification and molecular diagnosis of the amoeba are available at the Thiruvananthapuram public health lab, Thonnakkal IAV and Kozhikode medical college microbiology department," she said.

Amoebic meningoencephalitis is caused by microorganisms like Acanthamoeba and Naegleria fowleri found in warm lakes, ponds and polluted pools. The amoeba enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain.

People with weakened immune systems are more vulnerable to Acanthamoeba entering through wounds and affecting the brain and nervous system. They should clean hand and foot wounds only with clean, treated water.

The state took strong measures to treat and prevent amoebic meningoencephalitis, implementing interventions for early detection and expert care, George said. "While global mortality from Naegleria fowleri is 99% and Acanthamoeba is 70%-90%, Kerala reduced the rate to 24%. The state conducted a workshop with national experts, issued the first special protocol for the disease and collaborated with ICMR on a study. These efforts enabled early detection and treatment for many patients," she said.


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