Kerala issues special guidelines for treatment of amoebic meningoencephalitis

Thiruvananthapuram: For the first time in the country, the Kerala Health department has issued special guidelines for the treatment of amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare brain infection caused by free-living amoeba in contaminated waters, which has claimed many lives in the state in recent times.

Health Minister Veena George on Sunday said a technical guideline on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of amoebic meningoencephalitis has been released.

There are only few scientific studies and reports about the rare disease and therefore the government decided to prepare a comprehensive guideline for it, based on existing studies and observations, she said.

A panel will be appointed in collaboration with the ICMR for further study and research in this regard, the minister said in a statement.

George directed government and private hospitals to strictly follow these guidelines.

A 14-year-old boy who had died early this month was the latest victim of amoebic meningoencephalitis in Kerala.

His was the fourth case of the rare brain infection reported in the state since May, and all the patients were children.

According to medical experts, the infection occurs when free-living, non-parasitic amoebae bacteria enter the body through the nose from contaminated water.

The disease was earlier reported in coastal Alappuzha district in the state in 2023 and 2017.