A 73-year-old woman from Nellikuzhi in Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district of Kerala has died of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).

The Health department has confirmed that the death occurred due to the rare, but lethal central nervous system infection caused by free-living amoebae found in freshwater, lakes, and rivers.

Senior officials said on Wednesday that the woman succumbed to the disease on May 15 at a private hospital in Kothamangalam. She had developed symptoms of the infection, including fever and headache on May 6. She was admitted at the hospital on May 8 and was rushed to another hospital in Aluva the same day after her condition had worsened. As she continued to remain critical, she was shifted back to the private hospital in Kothamangalam after three days.

A worker under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, she is suspected to have washed her face using water collected from a canal.

Health officials pointed out that PAM is caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that thrives in warm freshwater lakes, ponds and rivers. It can also survive in poorly maintained swimming pools in rare cases, they said.

Superchlorination

After her death was confirmed, the health officials examined the condition of nearly 20 persons who had worked along with her. They have not yet developed any symptoms. The health wing in Nellikuzhi panchayat also carried out superchlorination of water sources, including wells.

Dr. R Shahirshah, District Medical Officer, Ernakulam, said preventive measures have been intensified. He cautioned the public to avoid bathing or swimming in unsafe water sources, particularly in stagnant waterbodies.