Kerala Teen Recovers from Rare Amoebic Meningoencephalitis Amid Virus Concerns

Kerala has reported a rare recovery case of amoebic meningoencephalitis, a deadly central nervous system infection with a 97% mortality rate. A 14-year-old boy has been cured after three weeks of treatment. This marks only the 11th such recovery worldwide, highlighting the health department's prompt actions and treatment protocol.

Amidst concerns over deadly virus outbreaks like Nipah in Kerala, the state on Monday reported a rare recovery from amoebic meningoencephalitis, which has a 97 per cent mortality rate.

State Health Minister Veena George announced that a 14-year-old boy receiving treatment for the disease has recovered.

She described the event as an exceedingly rare occurrence in the country, highlighting the high mortality rate of the disease.

Only 11 people worldwide have recovered from amoebic meningoencephalitis, George noted, praising the efforts of the team that led the coordination and treatment.

A highly rare but extremely lethal central nervous system infection, amoebic meningoencephalitis is caused by free-living amoebae and typically contracted from freshwater sources like lakes, rivers, and streams.

According to an official statement, when the case was reported, a meeting convened under the health minister's leadership issued special cautionary instructions.

Health workers at the Primary Health Centre in Melady suspected the boy's symptoms could be meningoencephalitis and alerted the authorities promptly.

''The boy had an epileptic seizure and was admitted to a private hospital in Kozhikode on the same day. The Health department provided Miltefosine medicine, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial used to treat free-living amoeba infections, and he recovered after three weeks of treatment. Early detection and access to treatment greatly contributed to his recovery,'' the statement said.

Following the disease outbreak, preventive measures were strengthened.

On July 5, a special meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan led to instructions for setting up molecular testing facilities to confirm the disease in its early stages.

On May 28, the health minister called a meeting to draft treatment guidelines under expert leadership, resulting in the release of a treatment protocol for amoebic meningoencephalitis on July 20.

This marked the first comprehensive treatment protocol for the disease in the country, according to the state health department.