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A 58-year-old woman from Kerala’s Kozhikode district died of amoebic meningoencephalitis at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Saturday, November 22. The deceased, Sarasu, hailed from Thurayoor in Payyoli and had been receiving treatment at the hospital for the past month.
According to reports, two more patients, including another Kozhikode native, are currently undergoing treatment at the medical college for the infection.
Amoebic meningoencephalitis is a severe and often fatal brain infection caused by free-living amoebae, most commonly Naegleria fowleri. Health officials state that the organism enters the human body through the nose, typically when a person swims or dives in contaminated freshwater. It then travels to the brain, causing inflammation and tissue damage. The infection can present as two types: primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) and granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE).
Kerala has reported a surge in cases in recent months. According to the Directorate of Health Services, 17 confirmed cases were recorded in November alone, with seven deaths. In 2025 so far, the state has reported 170 confirmed cases and 40 fatalities.
In October, a tragic misunderstanding related to the infection made headlines when Sunup, the father of a nine-year-old girl, attacked a doctor at Thamarassery Taluk Hospital with a machete, alleging negligence in his daughter’s treatment. While it was initially suspected that she had died of amoebic meningoencephalitis, her autopsy later confirmed that complications from the flu virus were the cause.