icmr-to-study-surge-in-amoebic-infection-cases-in-kerala

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is set to conduct a study on the rising number of amoebic meningoencephalitis cases in the state. The research will be carried out by the medical colleges in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, in collaboration with the ICMR’s Institute of Epidemiology, focusing on the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Malappuram, and Kozhikode.

Training for data collection has already begun at the district medical officer level. The sessions, which started in Kozhikode yesterday, will continue at Manjeri Medical College tomorrow, at the Kollam NHM (National Health Mission) conference hall on the 31st, and at the NHM conference hall of the Thiruvananthapuram Health Directorate. Subsequently, the research team will visit affected areas and interact with patients.

The study aims to identify the reasons behind the surge in amoebic meningoencephalitis cases in Kerala, especially since the disease is rarely reported elsewhere in India or globally. It will also examine differences in mortality rates. Although the disease typically has a fatality rate of 97 per cent, several patients in Kerala have recovered quickly, a fact experts attribute to advanced laboratory facilities that enable early diagnosis and treatment.

The State Health Department attributed the increase in cases to inadequate waste management, citing garbage, including abattoir waste, disposed into water bodies encourages the development of coliform bacteria, which is the amoeba's food of choice.

Amoebic meningoencephalitis has claimed 30 people in Kerala this year so far, with 144 cases being confirmed. Thiruvananthapuram had the largest number of cases (47), followed by Malappuram (24), and Kozhikode and Kollam (23 each).

Thiruvananthapuram has the maximum number of individuals undergoing treatment (29) and has accounted for five fatalities. The medical fraternity has appealed to citizens not to panic and assured that the district possesses good facilities, including the public health lab in Thiruvananthapuram, for rapid testing and early diagnosis.

 

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