As reported by BBC News
A mysterious and deadly brain infection caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba — often dubbed the “brain-eating amoeba” — has alarmed doctors and public health officials in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Once considered a medical rarity, cases of this near-fatal infection have surged in 2025, with over 70 reported infections and 19 deaths so far this year.
The disease, known scientifically as Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), occurs when contaminated freshwater enters the nose, usually while swimming or bathing. The amoeba then travels to the brain, causing rapid tissue destruction. Globally, fewer than 500 cases have been recorded since 1962, but the fatality rate exceeds 95%.
Kerala’s proactive healthcare system is now credited with improving survival rates — down from near-total fatality in earlier years to about 24% in 2025 — through early detection and aggressive treatment using targeted antimicrobials and steroids.
Dr. Aravind Reghukumar, head of infectious diseases at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, attributes this success to “state-of-the-art diagnostic labs and heightened awareness.” Kerala’s public health authorities have launched massive chlorination campaigns, covering 2.7 million wells across the state, and issued advisories against swimming or bathing in untreated ponds and rivers.
Experts, however, warn that Kerala’s reliance on groundwater — with more than 5.5 million wells and 55,000 ponds — makes it impossible to eliminate risk entirely. Dr. Dennis Kyle from the University of Georgia noted that the amoeba “can exist in any source of untreated water” and that climate change is worsening the threat by creating warmer, stagnant water ideal for amoebic growth.
Epidemiologist Prof. Anish TS further cautioned that even a 1°C rise in water temperature could amplify the spread in Kerala’s tropical climate. He also cited pollution and poor sanitation as key drivers feeding bacterial growth that sustains the amoeba.
The state now focuses on awareness over fear — urging residents to avoid stirring up sediment in stagnant water, use nose plugs when swimming, and clean domestic tanks regularly.
While Kerala may be leading the global response to PAM through vigilance and rapid action, scientists warn that the disease’s rise is a grim reminder of how climate change may reshape the geography of infections once considered “rare.”
Original Article Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79ven0xxyqo
Editor Further Research:
Management and Treatment
How is infection with brain-eating amoeba (Naegleria fowleri) treated?
The treatment of choice for primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), or infection with brain-eating amoeba (Naegleria fowleri) is the antifungal amphotericin B. Some survivors in North America were treated with a combination of drugs that included amphotericin B, rifampin, fluconazole and a drug called miltefosine. Miltefosine is also a drug approved for treating leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that’s spread by sandflies.
The best results (in two children who recovered completely) came from early diagnosis and treatment with the recommended drugs, along with cooling the body to below-normal temperature to treat brain swelling.
