Thiruvananthapuram: Amid growing concerns over the rapid rise in fatal amoebic meningoencephalitis cases in Kerala, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will conduct a field-level survey in four districts of the state.

In the first phase, data collection will be carried out in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. Meanwhile, training for the personnel who will conduct the survey in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts was completed on Friday.

As part of the survey, teams will visit the houses of people diagnosed with the deadly disease as well as those who succumbed to it, to collect detailed data. Each patient, two other members of the household, and three immediate neighbours will be interviewed. The same procedure will be followed for deceased patients’ families.

Doctors from various medical colleges in the state and representatives of the respective District Medical Officers (DMOs) will accompany the ICMR experts during the field visits.

“A detailed study will be initiated into the issue only after the data collection is completed,” said an official with the Directorate of Health Services (DHS).

Cause for concern
New cases confirmed on October 31: 2
Cases in October: 65
Deaths in October: 12
Total cases in 2025 (till October 31): 153
Total deaths: 33