Amid a rise in PAM cases, the Kerala government has formed a medical board to provide expert treatment to diagnosed patients.
Published Aug 08, 2024 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 08, 2024 | 7:00 AM
Brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri. (iStock)
A four-year-old child, on Wednesday, 7 August was treated successfully for amoebic meningoencephalitis and discharged from the Baby Memorial Hospital in Kozhikode. The boy has become the second-ever person to recover from the brain infection in India.
This comes amid the Kerala government forming a medical board to provide expert treatment to patients diagnosed with PAM – a rare but mostly fatal infection.
Admitted on 13 July with severe fever and headaches, the boy was diagnosed with the condition after cerebrospinal fluid analysis confirmed the presence of Naegleria fowleri.
A four-year-old child admitted to a #Kozhikode hospital has recovered from #AmoebicMeningoencephalitis.
The child has been discharged after successful treatment at the Baby Memorial Hospital. Admitted on 13 July with severe fever and headaches, the child was diagnosed with #PAM…
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) August 7, 2024
The child was treated by a team of specialists headed by Dr Abdul Rouf. The other doctors on the team include Febin Rahman, Umar, Purnima, and Sudarshan.
Over a period of 24 days of treatment, the child’s condition improved gradually and finally, on 7 August, the child’s cerebrospinal fluid levels returned to normal.
The boy’s recovery brings the number of people infected with amoebic meningoencephalitis to five while two more cases are suspected.
After six people were infected with the brain eating amoeba in Thiruvananthapuram, the Kerala Health Minister had instructed officials, on 5 August, to form a special medical board to provide expert treatment to patients.
Veena George had instructed the medical board to take necessary measures to prevent the spread of the disease and the medical board will investigate the source of the infection.
Talking about the people infected in Thiruvananthapuram, a health official said, “33 people have been found to have come in contact with the pond water. A team led by the Health Department visited the site and intensified preventive measures. A fever survey was also conducted in the area. Surveillance was intensified and treatment was ensured for those who showed symptoms. It has been directed to check the samples taken from the pond continuously.”
The health department said that as per the protocol, the treatment is being carried out with a combination of five drugs. In the wake of the rise in cases, it has issued a set of guidelines that people should follow. It includes,
Seven cases of the infection were detected in the state since May this year. Meanwhile, the Kerala government on 29 July received the first batch of medicine Miltefosine, donated by a UAE-based entrepreneur Shamsheer Vayalil, to treat amoebic meningoencephalitis.
The extremely lethal central nervous system infection, amoebic meningoencephalitis is caused by free-living amoebae. This deadly infection is typically contracted from freshwater sources such as lakes, rivers, and streams.
On 5 July, a special meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan led to instructions for molecular testing facilities to confirm the disease in its early stages.
On 28 May, the health minister called a meeting to prepare treatment guidelines under expert leadership, resulting in the release of a treatment protocol for amoebic meningoencephalitis on 20 July. This was the first comprehensive treatment protocol for the disease in the country, the state health department claimed. The disease was earlier reported in coastal Alappuzha district in the state in 2023 and 2017.
(Edited by Neena with inputs from Sreelakshmi and Dileep V Kumar)
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