12-year-old boy dies of rare ‘brain-eating amoeba’ infection in southern India

A 12-year-old boy from Kerala has died of a rare infection caused by a ‘brain-eating amoeba’.

He is the third person to die of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in the southern Indian state since May. The Hindu reported.

The boy had fallen ill after taking a dip in a pond and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode. He died on Thursday.

“We identified the infection during tests conducted in our laboratories and informed the district medical officer who took preventive measures by closing access to the pond where the child had bathed,” an unnamed doctor who treated the boy was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.

The amoeba, Naegleria fowleri thrives in warm fresh water and infects humans through the nose.

It has also been found in artificially heated industrial water sources and in domestic water supplies.

A five-year-old girl in Malappuram and a 13-year-old girl in Kannur died of the same infection on May 21 and June 25 respectively.

The state health department recommended caution when swimming in stagnant water and stressed the need for proper chlorination to prevent infection.

“Swimming in stagnant water and diving into water should be avoided as much as possible,” the ministry said.

“The water in amusement parks and swimming pools must be properly chlorinated to ensure its cleanliness.”

The infection can destroy brain tissue and cause severe brain swelling.

It is not contagious.

Symptoms include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. As the disease progresses, patients may also develop neck stiffness, confusion, seizures, hallucinations and potentially lapse into a coma.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most people with primary amebic meningoencephalitis “die within 1 to 18 days after the onset of symptoms.”

“This usually leads to coma and death after five days.”