Kollam woman dies of amoebic encephalitis
Third death reported in the state in October.
Third death reported in the state in October.
Third death reported in the state in October.
Thiruvananthapuram: Another person died of amoebic encephalitis in Kerala on Saturday. The deceased is Raji (48), a native of Maruthaman bhagam in Kollam.
The woman, a cashew worker, tested positive for the infection in the test conducted on September 23 at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. Following this, she was admitted to the same hospital. Though the doctors tried to save her, she breathed her last on Saturday.
Raji is survived by husband Rajendran Nair and son Rahul.
As per official sources, this is the third death due to the brain-eating amoeba reported in October in Kerala.
Health Minister Veena George said in a post that with the latest case, the state has so far reported 104 cases of amoebic encephalitis. This has taken the total number of deaths due to the disease to 24.
Amoebic encephalitis appears in two forms. The first, primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), is caused by Naegleria fowleri — a microscopic organism often called the “brain-eating amoeba” — which has a fatality rate of over 98 per cent. The second, granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), is caused by amoebae such as Acanthamoeba, Sappinia, and Balamuthia, and has a mortality rate of around 60 per cent.
Apart from Thiruvananthapuram, the infection has also been reported in Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Palakkad districts.