Kozhikode: Yet another case of amoebic meningoencephalitis, also known as 'brain eater', has been reported in the district, making it the fourth case in two months. A 14-year-old from Pallikara in Thikkodi was diagnosed with the disease. The condition of the teenager, who is under treatment in a private hospital, is satisfactory. Doctors said he is responding to the medicines.
As per reports, the boy bathed in the Kizhur Kattumkulam pond recently. He was admitted to the hospital five days ago. Three children – Mridul (12) of Feroke, Dakshina (13) of Kannur, and Fadwa (5) of Munniyoor in Malappuram – died of amoebic meningoencephalitis in Kozhikode hospitals in the last one-and-a-half-months.
Read: Brain-eating amoeba infection in Kerala: Prevention, symptoms and treatment
Amoebic meningoencephalitis is caused by a free-living amoeba, a tiny organism, which lives in warm freshwater bodies. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it enters the human body through the nose or a damaged eardrum and can travel to the brain, causing deadly infection within a short time. It is not visible to the naked eye; you can only see it under a microscope. Therefore, it is also difficult to locate.
