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The Health Department in Kozhikode has issued an alert against primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare but fatal brain infection, after three cases of the disease and one death were reported in the district in recent days.
With two persons, including a three-month-old child, currently under treatment, Health officials have stepped up preventive measures to contain further spread. District medical officer KK Rajaram said in a statement on Monday, August 18, that though the mortality rate of this infection is very high, it does not spread from person to person. Health authorities have begun chlorination drives in wells and water bodies near houses in Omassery and Annassery, where two cases were detected, and in around 60 water sources near the residence of a nine-year-old girl in Thamarassery who died of the disease on August 14.
Officials warned that the infection spreads when contaminated water enters the body through the nose, and symptoms such as severe headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, and sensitivity to light usually appear within five to 10 days of the amoeba reaching the brain. In children, refusal to eat, unwillingness to play, and remaining motionless in bed are some of the common signs.
District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh has also issued an advisory urging the public to stay away from bathing or swimming in stagnant or contaminated water, to ensure proper chlorination of wells, tanks and pools, and to avoid entering water bodies immediately after heavy rains. People have been asked to be especially cautious with children while using water sources. The Health Department has assured that preventive and surveillance measures will continue in the district.