The brain-eating amoeba can easily access the brain through the olfactory nerve, which is located near the nasal cavity and can cause significant damage to the brain tissue.
A 14-year-old succumbed to amoebic meningoencephalitis infection on Wednesday night in Kerala. People infected usually fall into a coma and die about five days after symptoms start, the health officials say.
Third Fatality In Kerala
The death of Mridul, a 14-year-old boy from Kerala's Kozhikode from this rare brain infection is the third fatality from the brain-eating amoeba in the last two months in Kerala.
He contracted the Naegleria fowleri infection caused by a free-living amoeba after swimming in a contaminated pond, reports said. He had been hospitalised on June 24 after exhibiting symptoms like severe headache, nausea and vomiting and succumbed to the infection on 3rd July.
What is Naegleria Fowleri?
The Naegleria fowleri amoeba is a tiny organism found in warm freshwaters like lakes, ponds, rivers, and hot springs rivers, as well as in soil and untreated water. Swimming or diving in contaminated water may allow the amoeba to enter through the nose and travel to the brain.
This is because the brain-eating amoeba can easily access the brain through the olfactory nerve, which is located near the nasal cavity. The amoeba can cause significant damage to the brain tissue.
Cannot be Transmitted from Person to Person
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis is not contagious and cannot be transmitted from person to person. According to Cleveland Clinic, there have been no cases of the infection being spread from person to person. Swallowing water containing the Naegleria fowleri amoeba does not lead to infection
But once it enters through the nose, this causes a severe and often deadly infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). It spreads quickly and requires immediate treatment, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
What Are The symptoms?
The symptoms of primary amebic meningoencephalitis typically manifest two to 15 days after exposure and progresses rapidly. In early stages, PAM diagnosis can be difficult as the symptoms closely resemble those of bacterial or viral meningitis.
Early stage symptoms of the infection include a very painful headache, high fever, stiff neck, nausea and/or vomiting. In the later stages, the patient can become confused, disoriented, suffer from seizures, loss of balance and may slip into a coma. The infection is nearly always fatal.
How to Prevent Naegleria Fowleri Infection when Swimming?
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends these steps:
- Steer clear of water activities in warmer months when water temperatures are high and water levels are low, as these conditions favour Naegleria fowleri.
- Use a nose clip or hold your nose shut if you jump or dive into the water.
- Keep your head above water in hot springs and other naturally hot (geothermal) waters.
- Avoid disturbing sediment in shallow, warm fresh water, as Naegleria fowleri is more likely to be found in the sediment at the bottom of lakes, ponds, and rivers.
Can it be treated?
PAM progresses very quickly and is often difficult to diagnose. It is fatal in 97% of the cases. However, some survivors in North America were treated with a combination of drugs that included amphotericin B, rifampin, fluconazole and a drug called miltefosine, the CDC said.
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