While there wasn’t a full-blown outbreak, the recent PAM (primary amoebic meningoencephalitis) cases in the state have spread panic among the public.
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".
A 13-year-old boy infected with Amoebic meningoencephalitis, and was under treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode succumbed to it on the night of Wednesday. This is the third death this year due to the infection and the fourth reported case. People get infected as the amoeba enters the body through the nose, usually while swimming.