KOZHIKODE: Kerala has released guidelines on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the rare disease amoebic meningoencephalitis. With very little scientific study results available on the disease, the state decided to prepare comprehensive guidelines based on existing studies and observations on its own, Health Minister Veena George said in a statement on Sunday.
This is the first time that such a guideline is being issued in the country, according to the health department. A committee will be appointed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research for further study, the statement said. Veena has directed government and private hospitals to follow the guidelines strictly.
According to the statement, amoebic meningoencephalitis is now being treated with a combination of five drugs known to be effective against the disease.
“The disease can be cured in those who start taking medicines as soon as possible. Therefore, medicines should be given as soon as symptoms start and that can reduce the death rate. The primary symptoms are severe headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty in turning the neck. Later, when it reaches a critical condition, symptoms like epilepsy, fainting, and memory loss also occur,” the health minister’s statement said.
Kozhikode patient to be discharged today
The 14-year-old boy from Thikkodi, who is under treatment at the Kozhikode medical college for amoebic meningoencephalitis, is set to be discharged on Monday. His latest PCR test result was negative. The boy was diagnosed with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) on July 5. His father, Siddique, said the hospital authorities informed the family that the boy has recovered. Currently, a three-and-a-half-year-old boy from Pariyaram in Kannur district is undergoing treatment in Kozhikode with amoebic meningoencephalitis symptoms.
What is amoebic meningoencephalitis?
Amoebic meningoencephalitis is a rare disease that occurs in people who come in contact with standing or running water sources. Estimates indicate that only one in 26 lakh people who come in contact with such water gets the disease. The disease usually occurs when Naegleria fowleri, a type of amoeba, infects the brain.
Three deaths in Kerala this year
A five-year-old girl from Munniyoor, Malappuram, died of the disease in May. A 13-year-old girl, V Dakshina of Kannur, died of the disease on June 12 while under treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode. Another 13-year-old, Mridul of Feroke, passed away in July while undergoing treatment in Kozhikode.
