Kerala achieves historic feat: All 10 patients recover from rare brain infection

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Health Department announced on Thursday that it has achieved a historic feat in treating Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, a rare and often deadly brain infection, with all 10 patients undergoing treatment being discharged, marking a remarkable recovery rate.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said all 10 patients admitted to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College with Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (Amoebic Brain Fever) have been discharged.

According to her, this extraordinary success story is all the more remarkable given the global context.

Only 25 people worldwide have ever recovered from Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, and 14 of them are from Kerala, the minister said in a statement.

“Globally, this disease has a mortality rate of 97 per cent. However, Kerala has successfully reduced the mortality rate to 26 per cent. Worldwide, only 11 people have achieved recovery from this disease. Meanwhile, Kerala has managed to cure 14 people so far, including these 10 patients,” it said.

The key to this success was the timely and accurate diagnosis, followed by effective treatment with medicines like Miltefosine, which led to the recovery of all patients, the statement said.

It said following the confirmation of Amoebic Meningoencephalitis in a deceased person in Thiruvananthapuram, the Health Department took swift and robust measures.

Under the leadership of the health minister, a State Rapid Response Team (RRT) meeting was convened to coordinate prevention and treatment efforts.

A medical board was formed to oversee the treatment of patients, and a special Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was developed to ensure continuous care, the statement said.

George commended the collective efforts of the Medical College and Health Department teams for their exemplary leadership and coordination in managing the disease.

“The Health Department has proactively implemented robust measures to prevent and control Amoebic Meningoencephalitis,” she said.

The minister said Kerala has become the first state in the country to initiate comprehensive research activities, adopting a unified health approach, in response to the confirmed cases of Amoebic Meningoencephalitis across various districts.

In this context, Kerala has decided to conduct research activities focusing on a unified health approach, a first in the country, she said.

George said all individuals who tested positive for the disease in Kerala had some level of exposure to contaminated water that could potentially contain the amoeba.

“To investigate why only certain individuals who shared the same water source contracted the disease, a comprehensive case-control study is being undertaken, in collaboration with ICMR and the National Institute of Epidemiology, to identify the underlying factors contributing to this disparity,” she added.