The condition of the boy, who is a native of Mooniyoor grama panchayath of the Malappuram district, is reportedly serious.
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)
The Kerala Health Department on Wednesday, 15 May, confirmed amoebic meningoencephalitis — a rare brain infection that is caused by Naegleria fowleri and is usually fatal — in a five-year-old boy who is undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode. The boy’s condition is reportedly serious. Naegleria fowleri infects people by entering the body through the nose, usually while swimming.