The girl's brother, who recently developed a fever, is under close observation, though he has not displayed the neurological symptoms usually linked to the infection.
Published Aug 19, 2025 | 4:00 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 19, 2025 | 4:00 PM
Naegleria fowleri infects people by entering the body through the nose, usually while swimming. The amoeba travels up the nose to the brain where it destroys the brain tissue and causes swelling of the brain. (Creative Commons)
Synopsis: Kerala health authorities confirmed amoeba in a Thamarassery well after 9-year-old Anaya Sanoop died of amoebic encephalitis. This marks Kozhikode’s fourth suspected case in 2025. Despite the disease’s 97% global fatality rate, Kerala reduced it to 25% through early detection. The state launched diagnostic kits, a “One Health” protocol, and public guidelines to combat freshwater-linked infections.
Kerala Health authorities on Tuesday, 19 August, confirmed the presence of amoeba in the well water at the home of a nine year-old girl from Thamarassery, who died last week after contracting amoebic encephalitis, a rare and often fatal brain infection.
According to district health officials, a medical team carried out a fever survey among all residents using the contaminated well.
The girl’s brother, who recently developed a fever, is under close observation, though he has not displayed the neurological symptoms usually linked to the infection.
The girl, Anaya Sanoop, a Class IV student of Korangad Lower Primary School, developed a fever on Wednesday, 13 August night after attending preparations for her school’s Independence Day celebrations.
She was admitted to the Thamarassery Taluk Hospital the next morning, on Thursday, 14 August, but as her condition worsened, she was shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Kozhikode, where she died later in the day.
Laboratory tests conducted at the medical college’s microbiology department on 15 August later confirmed amoebic encephalitis as the cause of death.
Officials noted that this marks the fourth suspected case of the infection in Kozhikode district this year.
The disease is caused by a free-living amoeba that thrives in freshwater sources like wells, rivers, and lakes.
Despite the deaths, it’s said that Kerala has made significant strides in reducing the fatality rate of amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare but highly lethal brain infection caused by free-living amoeba — Naegleria fowleri — found in untreated water.
Globally, the disease carries a mortality rate of 97 percent.
However, through early detection and timely management, the state health department says that it has managed to bring the fatality rate down to 25 percent.
According to the Health Department, Kerala reported 38 cases and eight deaths in 2024. This year, till April, 12 cases and five deaths have been confirmed.
Most infections were found among school children who swam in stagnant or muddied ponds during summer, when amoebic activity is high due to receding water levels.
The government has issued strict preventive guidelines, advising people to avoid mossy or stagnant waterbodies, ensure chlorination in pools and water parks, and take precautions while swimming to prevent water from entering the nostrils. Individuals with a history of nasal or brain surgery are urged to be extra cautious.
To strengthen detection, the State Public Health Laboratory in June developed its own molecular diagnostic test kits capable of identifying five pathogenic amoeba species, including Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba spp., eliminating the need to rely on external labs such as PGI Chandigarh.
Kerala has also devised a “One Health” protocol, bringing together the Health Department, Pollution Control Board, and Kerala University’s Science and Technology Department to combat the disease.
With vigilance and public awareness, officials believe early detection and prevention can save lives.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
