Kerala, ICMR Launch Joint Study to Uncover Causes of Amebic Brain Fever

The Kerala Health Department, in collaboration with the ICMR–National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai, has launched a joint field study to identify the causes and risk factors behind Amebic Meningoencephalitis (Amebic Brain Fever).

The study has commenced in Kozhikode and will soon extend to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Malappuram districts.

This initiative follows a technical workshop held in August 2024 that brought together experts from ICMR, IAV, the Pondicherry AV Institute, the Indian Institute of Science and the Pollution Control Board to plan coordinated research. The current field study is a continuation of that collaborative effort.

Health Minister Veena George said Kerala has been implementing effective strategies for the early detection, treatment and prevention of Amebic Brain Fever. Although the global fatality rate for the disease is around 99 per cent, Kerala has succeeded in bringing it down to 24 per cent through timely medical intervention and improved surveillance. The state also became the first in India to issue a dedicated protocol for the disease.

All medical colleges in the state now have microbiology facilities to detect the presence of amoeba, enabling rapid diagnosis and treatment. The Public Health Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram has established molecular-level testing facilities to confirm the specific amoeba species and verify infection. A similar facility is being developed at the Thonnakkal IAV. Earlier, such confirmation was possible only at PGI Chandigarh.

The Thiruvananthapuram laboratory can detect five types of amoeba — Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba sp., Vermamoeba vermiformis, Balamuthia mandrillaris and Paravahlkampfia francinae — whereas most laboratories in India can identify only three.

Under the Health Minister’s leadership, regular meetings of the State Rapid Response Team (RRT) are reviewing preventive actions and field findings. A high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister has also directed departments to intensify public awareness and monitoring activities.

To curb waterborne diseases, the government has launched the ‘Jalamanu Jeevan’ (Water is Life) campaign involving the Health, Local Self-Government, Education and Water Resources Departments along with the Haritha Kerala Mission.

The Health Department has urged the public to avoid swimming or diving in stagnant or untreated water, use nose protection while swimming, and ensure swimming pools and water parks are properly chlorinated.

It also advised people not to pour unboiled or untreated water into the nostrils, to use purified water for cleaning wounds, and to keep household and public water sources clean to prevent contamination.

Kerala’s strengthened laboratory capacity, early-detection system and coordinated public health response have made the state a national model in combating rare but deadly infections like Amebic Brain Fever.

UNI DS ARN