Brain eating amoeba took the lives of 3 children in Kerala!

What comes to your mind when you hear the word rain? Hot pakoras or samosas with tea?  The rainy season is the favorite season of many people, they enjoy playing, swimming or getting wet in the rain. But have you ever thought that this clean and soothing rainwater can be fatal for you or your children?

Accumulated rain water is the home of many deadly viruses, bacteria and parasites.

What is this amoeba and what brain infection does it cause? 

In Kerala, after a 5-year-old girl on May 21, and a 13-year-old girl on June 25, a 14-year-old boy died last week. And the reason for all this is a very rare brain infection "amoebic meningoencephalitis" which is caused by an amoeba called Naegleria fowleri. It is also known as “brain eating amoeba”.

Naegleria fowleri grows in warm water resources such as ponds, rivers, hot springs or swimming pools. Medical experts claimed that this infection occurs when Naegleria fowleri enters your body through your nose from any infected water resources and then reaches the brain through the olfactory nerves in your nose and destroys brain tissues.

But this infection is not caused by drinking contaminated water nor does it spread from one person to another.

Suggested Read: Brain Eating Amoeba: Beware!

What are the symptoms of this brain infection?

• Fever
• Headache
• Vomiting
• Seizures 
• Neck stiffness
• Hallucinations.

Suggested Read: 14 Years Old Boy in Kerala Dies Due To Nipah Virus! What is Nipah Virus?

How can we avoid this dangerous disease?

There is currently no cure for this infection. Doctors manage this rare infection by mixing some medicines like amphotericin B, azithromycin, fluconazole, rifampin, miltefosine, and dexamethasone.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also held a meeting on this matter and advised to follow these guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

1. Do not go to the river, pond or any swimming pool during summer, because this amoeba grows in hot water.

2. Whenever you go inside the water, close your nose with your hand or use a nose clip.

3. Whenever you are swimming, try to keep your head above water.

4. Do not disturb the sediments under water, because this amoeba is mostly found in the sediments of ponds, lakes or rivers.

5. And if you have sinusitis, heat the water for 1 minute and let it cool, then rinse your sinuses.

So stay aware, follow these guidelines and protect yourself from the harmful amoeba.

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