Kerala has developed SOP for treating amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare disease: State Health Minister

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 7 : Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that the Kerala government has developed an SOP for the treatment of amoebic meningoencephalitis as the country does not have an SOP for it as it is a very rare disease globally.
Speaking on the cases of amoebic meningoencephalitis in Kerala, George said, "We don't have an SOP in the country for amoebic meningoencephalitis because this is a very rare disease globally. Kerala has developed an SOP for the treatment of amoebic meningoencephalitis patients."
She stated that they could discharge two children at the moment and have nine active cases, of which seven were reported in Thiruvananthapuram.
"We could discharge two kids and now we have nine active cases who are under treatment. Seven cases were reported in Thiruvananthapuram. The first case was reported on 21 July and the patient passed away on 23rd," she said.
She further stated that the condition of those patients was getting stable and if diagnosed in the initial stages and proper treatment was provided to the patients, then they could be brought back to life.
"The Union government had supplied the medicine initially because this drug comes under the central supply... The condition of these patients is getting stable. If we diagnose the disease in the initial stage and ensure proper treatment, we can bring people back to life. We have formed a medical board that is monitoring their situation. We have contacted the ICMR for a combined study and research and it has responded positively," she said.
She also mentioned that the disease wasn't contagious and wouldn't spread from one person to another through direct contact.
"It's not a contagious disease. It will not spread from one person to another through direct contact. It spreads through amoeba and can occur in adults who have undergone surgery on the skull or have a sensitive nasal membrane. We were keen to find out how kids were getting infected... People got infected after coming in contact with contaminated water," she said.
Earlier on July 5, the Kerala government held a meeting to discuss issues related to amoebic meningoencephalitis under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
CM Vijayan instructed that people should avoid swimming in unclean bodies of water. He emphasised that swimming pools must be properly chlorinated.
Health Minister Veena George, Chief Secretary Dr. Venu V., Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department Rajan Khobragade, and Director of the Virology Institute Dr. E. Sreekumar attended the meeting.
On July 2, George held a high-level meeting of the health department in the background of two deaths and one case of hospitalisation due to amoebic meningoencephalitis in the last two months in the state.
Notably, amoebic meningoencephalitis is a very rare disease in people who have contact with standing or running water sources. There are very few scientific studies and results about this rare disease. Statistics indicate that only 2.6 out of 10 lakh people who come in contact with such water in the world get this disease. The disease usually occurs when Naegleria fowleri, a type of amoeba, infects the brain.
This disease is not transmitted from human to human. The amoeba that lives in stagnant water enters the human body through the thin skin of the nose and causes encephalitis, which seriously affects the brain. Free-living amoebas are generally found in stagnant water bodies. Bacteria from the amoeba family are transmitted through the fine pores in the nose by bathing in drains or pools. Enters the human body and severely affects the brain and causes encephalitis.
Symptoms appear within one to nine days of infection. The primary symptoms are severe headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and difficulty turning the neck. Later, when it reaches a critical condition, there are symptoms like epilepsy, loss of consciousness and memory loss. Diagnosis is made by taking fluid from the spinal cord and testing it. People who bathe in stagnant water should report these symptoms and seek treatment.