- A five-year-old girl undergoing treatment for Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare infection caused byNaegleria fowleri or brain-eating amoeba, died at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode.
- Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare brain infection that is caused by Naegleria fowleri.
- It is a free-living amoeba or a single-celled living organism.
- Naegleria fowleri lives in warm fresh water and soil around the world and infects people when it enters the body through the nose, usually when people are swimming. It then travels up to the brain, where it destroys the brain tissue and causes swelling.
- Higher temperatures of up to 115°F (46°C) are conducive to its growth and it can survive for short periods in warm environments.
- The amoeba can be found in warm freshwater, such as lakes and rivers, swimming pools, splash pads, surf parks, or other recreational venues that are poorly maintained or minimally chlorinated.
- People cannot get infected with Naegleria fowleri from drinking water contaminated with the amoeba. PAM is also non-communicable.
- In the initial stage, the symptoms include headache, fever, nausea and vomiting. The patient may have a stiff neck and slip into a state of coma.
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