A 15-year-old boy in Kerala’s Alappuzha district has died because of a rare infection, primary amoebic meningoencephalitis caused by Naegleria fowleri, or the “brain-eating amoeba”, according to health department officials.
Officials said the boy, a native of Panavally village, had been undergoing treatment at the government medical college hospital in Alappuzha. He died on Thursday evening. A week ago, the boy developed a fever and sought treatment at a local clinic. On Sunday, his condition deteriorated and he was shifted to the medical college hospital, where he was diagnosed with the infection.
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The boy used to take bath in a small stream near his home and it is believed that he got infected from the waterbody.
Naegleria is an amoeba, a single-celled organism, and only one of its species, called Naegleria fowleri, can infect humans, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was first discovered in Australia in 1965 and is commonly found in warm freshwater bodies, such as hot springs, rivers and lakes.
Naegleria fowleri lives in warm fresh water and soil around the world and infects people when it enters the body through the nose. This can usually happen when someone goes for a swim or dive or even when they dip their head in a freshwater body. The amoeba travels up the nose to the brain, where it destroys the brain tissue and causes swelling of the brain.
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The initial symptoms include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. The symptoms of the later stage include a stiff neck, altered mental status (confusion), lack of attention to people and surroundings, seizures, hallucinations and coma.
In some cases, it was found that people got infected when they cleaned their nostrils with contaminated water. Scientists have not found any evidence of the spreading of Naegleria fowleri through water vapour or aerosol droplets.
The boy used to take bath in a small stream near his home and it is believed that he got infected from the waterbody.
(Representational Photo) 
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