The research aims to trace environmental sources, identify water bodies contaminated with pathogenic amoebae, and develop preventive strategies.
Published Oct 28, 2025 | 5:34 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 28, 2025 | 5:38 PM
Amoebic meningoencephalitis is a rare but often fatal brain infection caused by the free-living organism Naegleria fowleri, better known as the "brain-eating amoeba".
Synopsis: The Kerala Health Department and the Indian Council of Medical Research have launched a joint field study to trace the causes and transmission of amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare but deadly brain infection that has claimed 30 lives in the state this year. The research, beginning in Kozhikode and soon expanding to other districts, will trace environmental sources, identify water bodies contaminated with pathogenic amoebae, and develop preventive strategies.
The Kerala State Health Department, in collaboration with experts from the National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai, under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has launched a detailed field study to identify the causes and transmission patterns of amoebic meningoencephalitis.
The condition is a rare but often fatal brain infection caused by the free-living organism Naegleria fowleri, better known as the “brain-eating amoeba”.
The Health Department said the initiative marks an important step towards understanding why Kerala has seen a sudden rise in amoebic meningoencephalitis, also known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
The field study has begun in Kozhikode and will soon extend to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Malappuram districts.
The research aims to trace environmental sources, identify water bodies contaminated with pathogenic amoebae, and develop preventive strategies. It will also support Kerala’s plan to introduce a nationally pioneering action plan based on the ‘One Health’ approach, integrating human, animal and environmental health.
The initiative follows a technical workshop held in August that brought together experts from ICMR, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the Vector Control Research Centre in Puducherry, and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board.
As of Saturday, 25 October, Kerala has reported 144 confirmed cases and 30 deaths linked to amoebic meningoencephalitis this year. Alarmingly, 56 cases and nine deaths were reported in October alone.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently chaired a review meeting and directed local bodies to take the lead in preventive measures. He noted that studies have found amoebae in wells, uncleaned water tanks, and polluted ponds and rivers.
Amoebic meningoencephalitis carries a global fatality rate of nearly 99 percent, but Kerala claims to have reduced mortality to around 24 percent through early diagnosis and expert treatment.
“This was achieved by establishing diagnostic systems in microbiology departments across all medical colleges,” Health and Woman and Child Development Minister Veena George had earlier said.
Responding to Opposition criticism in the Assembly over the rise in cases, the Health Minister said that Kerala’s figures reflect improved disease surveillance, not an outbreak.
“In most other states, the cause of encephalitis remains undiagnosed. But in Kerala, since 2023, we have made it a practice to identify the pathogen responsible. The increase in reported cases is due to our enhanced testing capacity and vigilance,” she explained.
In June 2024, the Public Health Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram became the first facility in the state to establish a molecular diagnostic system to identify amoebic species locally. This was a process that previously required confirmation from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.
A similar facility is being developed at the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV), Thonnakkal.
Kerala’s laboratories can now detect five species of free-living amoebae—Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba spp., Vermamoeba vermiformis, Balamuthia mandrillaris, and Paravahlkampfia francinae—while most laboratories in India detect only three.
In response to the rise in cases, the state government earlier launched a statewide sanitation campaign titled Jalamanu Jeevan (Water is Life), involving multiple departments including Health, Local Self-Government, General Education and Water Resources.
As part of the campaign, all wells and public water tanks in Kerala were chlorinated and cleaned on Saturday, 30 August, and Sunday, 31 August, followed by school-level awareness sessions and community cleaning drives.
The campaign is linked to the ‘Waste-Free New Kerala’ initiative, which aims to make Kerala the cleanest state in India.
The Health Department has also issued detailed preventive measures to curb amoebic infections:
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
