A 10-year-old boy from Nadutheri, Thalavoor in Kollam has been confirmed with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). He is presently admitted to SAT hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. This is the first case of PAM in Kollam.
The District Rapid Response Team (RRT) will convene a meeting at 10 am on Monday. Health officials said that the boy was initially taken to a hospital in Kollam with fever, headache, and vomiting. The district health officials are investigating whether the boy has been exposed to any contaminated water source. Field investigations have started in areas around the patient's residence.
The state has reported over 20 cases of PAM so far.
Patients with PAM typically have a history of swimming, diving, bathing, or playing in warm, generally stagnant, freshwater during the previous 1-9 days, according to the technical guidelines issued by the state health department. Rarely, patients with PAM may experience disordered smell or taste.
Most often, the symptoms of PAM are indistinguishable from those of acute bacterial meningitis. The acute onset of PAM occurs over a period of hours to 1-2 days. The neuro-olfactory route provides Naegleria fowleri, the causal agent of PAM, quick access to the brain and results in impaired adaptive immune response, causing a very rapid disease course, according to the guidelines
Ten people who were under treatment for amoebic meningoencephalitis were discharged from Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram in the second week of September. Those who were diagnosed with the disease had been in contact with contaminated water, which had the presence of free-living amoebae.
