A 43-year-old woman in Kerala was diagnosed with a rare brain infection called amoebic encephalitis. The fresh case of the brain infection was confirmed on Wednesday, said a senior official of the district. The brain infection is caused by a free-living amoeba found in contaminated waters, health officials informed the public on Thursday.
With this, the total number of patients undergoing treatment for the infection at the Kozhikode Medical College here has risen to 10, the official said.
The patients include 4 children, two of whom are relatives of a nine-year-old girl who died due to amoebic encephalitis earlier this month, he said. The patients hail from Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Malappuram districts.
It is not a transmissible disease. One can catch the infection during activities such as swimming or diving in contaminated freshwater when it enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain. This means it is typically contracted from freshwater sources such as lakes, rivers, and streams.
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