12-Year-Old Boy From Kozhikode Dies Of Brain-Eating Amoeba, Marking 3rd Death In 2 Months

Mridul, the son of Ajith Prasad and Jyothi of Irumooliparambu, was admitted to a private hospital with complaints of vomiting and headache last week.

This demise of the Class 7 student comes after the deaths of two other children from Malappuram and Kannur districts who also fell victim to amoebic meningoencephalitis earlier this year. (Credit: Pixabay)

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A 12-year-old boy in Kozhikode district has succumbed to amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and often fatal brain infection caused by a free-living amoeba found in contaminated water, on Wednesday. The boy, identified as EP Mridul, passed away marking the third reported death due to this severe infection in Kerala since May.

Mridul, the son of Ajith Prasad and Jyothi of Irumooliparambu, was a class 7 student at Farook Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode. He had been admitted to a private hospital with complaints of vomiting and headache last week. The doctors immediately diagnosed him with amoebic meningoencephalitis.

Before falling ill, he reportedly had bathed in a pond following which officials instructed the public to avoid the pond and warned others who recently bathed there to remain vigilant for symptoms.

This demise of the Class 7 student comes after the deaths of two other children from Malappuram and Kannur districts who also fell victim to amoebic meningoencephalitis earlier this year.

On May 21, a five-year-old girl from Malappuram succumbed to the infection. On June 25, a 13-year-old girl from Kannur also lost her life to the same infection. 

What is Amoebic Meningoencephalitis?

Amoebic meningoencephalitis is a rare but severe infection of the brain caused by amoebae, particularly "Naegleria fowleri" and "Acanthamoeba" species. Symptoms usually start 1-9 days after exposure and include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, seizures, altered mental status, and hallucinations.

The disease progresses rapidly, often resulting in death within 1-12 days after symptoms begin.

Health officials advise the public to be cautious when swimming in warm freshwater bodies, especially during the summer, to prevent such infections.

Medical experts have stated that the infection occurs when free-living, non-parasitic amoebae bacteria enter the body through the nose from contaminated water. Health authorities have advised people to exercise caution against amoebic meningoencephalitis.

The disease was previously reported in the coastal Alappuzha district in 2023 and 2017.