This is the fifth case of the rare brain infection reported in the state since May and all the patients are children, three of whom have already died.
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)
A 14-year-old boy from Kozhikode, Kerala, has been diagnosed with amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare brain infection caused by a free-living amoeba found in contaminated waters, marking the fifth case reported in the state since May. All the patients are children, with already three fatalities. Amoebic meningoencephalitis is a rare brain infection that is caused by Naegleria fowleri.