The illness has a mortality fee of 95-100 per cent (Representational)
Kozhikode (Kerala):
A 12-year-old boy has been bothered by amoebic meningoencephalitis, a uncommon mind an infection attributable to a free-living amoeba present in contaminated waters, in Kozhikode district of Kerala, based on sources within the personal hospital the place he’s being handled.
That is the third case of a close to deadly an infection reported from the southern state since Might.
The primary one was of a five-year-old lady from Malappuram who died on Might 21 and the second of a 13-year-old lady from Kannur who died on June 25.
The third case is of a 12-year-old boy from Kozhikode who was admitted within the Child Memorial Hospital right here on Monday.
One of many medical doctors treating him stated that the an infection was recognized and the remedy commenced on the identical day.
“We recognized the an infection in assessments carried out at our labs and knowledgeable the DMO who took preventive measures by closing down entry to the pond the place the kid had bathed,” the physician stated.
The samples had been then despatched for testing to a lab in Puducherry from the place the printed PCR report is awaited formally confirming the an infection, he stated.
“The illness has a mortality fee of 95-100 per cent. The boy continues to be in crucial situation,” the physician stated.
He stated that the hospital was in a position to shortly determine the an infection and start remedy because it was the third case of the illness and the protocols had been already in place to take care of it.
In keeping with medical specialists, the an infection is precipitated when free-living, non-parasitic amoebae micro organism enter the physique by the nostril from contaminated water.
The Well being Division on Thursday had requested folks to train warning in opposition to amoebic meningoencephalitis.
“Bathing in stagnant water and diving in water must be averted as a lot as attainable as this illness has been reported in Kerala. Water in theme parks and swimming swimming pools must be correctly chlorinated to make sure that it’s clear,” it had stated.
The illness was earlier reported in coastal Alappuzha district within the state in 2023 and 2017.
The primary signs of the illness are fever, headache, vomiting, and seizures.
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