A five-year-old girl from the Malappuram district in Kerala died of a brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, also called “brain-eating amoeba”. She had been undergoing treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College’s Institute of Maternal and Child Health since May 13 and was on ventilator support for a week. The girl was likely infected with the deadly amoeba when she took a bath along with her relatives at the Kadalundi River near her house on May 1. Four other children who took a bath in the same river were admitted to the hospital but were discharged later.
The girl’s parents took her to the doctor on May 10 after she complained of headache and vomiting. After her condition deteriorated, she was shifted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.
This is not the first case in Kerala when a child has died of a “brain-eating amoeba” infection. Last year in July, a 15-year-old died after contracting the infection while swimming in a stream near his house in Alappuzha. The teen died within a week after getting a high fever and deteriorating vitals.
What is a brain-eating amoeba?
The Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba (type of one-celled organism) that is found in warm freshwater lakes, rivers, unchlorinated pools, hot springs, and in rare cases heated tap water as well. It is called “brain-eating amoeba” as it causes fatal brain infection by developing into primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
How does it spread?
This infection occurs when the amoeba gets inside the nose and then travels to the brain. One can’t be infected by swallowing the contaminated water.
In most known cases, the amoeba entered the nose when people were reported to play/swim in warm water bodies. In rare instances, infections have also been linked when people use neti pots with contaminated tap water.
Naegleria fowleri infections can’t be transmitted from person to person.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a Naegleria fowleri infection develop within one to seven days after exposure. The early symptoms are severe headache, high fever, stiff neck, and vomiting. These common symptoms may make diagnosis difficult but later, they develop into seizures, hallucinations, coma, and eventually fatal organ failure. According to the CDC, most people with PAM die within one to 18 days after symptoms manifest.
Prevention
In the case of ‘brain-eating amoeba’, prevention is the cure. As per a report in the Associated Press, the fatality rate in PAM is more than 85 per cent even after treatment.
One should avoid swimming in warm freshwater bodies, especially when water levels are low and temperatures are high. Avoid playing in pools, splash pads, or waterparks with unchlorinated water. Do not use tap water in summer or during warm weather to clear your nasal passage. Hold your nose shut or use nose clips when in warm freshwater.
Comments
0 comment