Rare Amoebic Infection Claims Another Life In Kerala’s Kozhikode; Toll Rises To Four

Last Updated:September 06, 2025, 15:52 IST

Man died of Amoebic Meningoencephalitis at Kozhikode Medical College, raising the toll to four. Kerala launched the Water is Life campaign to curb waterborne diseases statewide.

Rare Amoebic Infection Claims Another Life In Kerala’s Kozhikode. (AI Generated Image)

One more person died due to the rare disease Amoebic Meningoencephalitis at the Kozhikode Medical College. 10 patients, including three children, are under treatment.

According to the Medical College authorities, the deceased, Ratheesh (45), succumbed to the rare and deadly brain infection after being in critical condition for over a week. He was admitted to the hospital with fever and other symptoms 20 days ago, and the diagnosis was confirmed following tests.

With the latest death, the toll in the region has risen to four. Anaya, an eight-year-old native of Thamarassery, a three-month-old baby from Omassery, Kozhikode, and Ramla, a resident of Malappuram, had died in the past three weeks.

Amoebic encephalitis cases were reported in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts.

Health Minister Veena George, earlier, chaired a high-level meeting and decided to clean the state’s water bodies. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also requested local self-government authorities to strengthen their preventive measures.

To curb waterborne diseases, the state government launched the ‘Water is Life’ (Jalamanu Jeevan) campaign, bringing together the Health Department, Local Self-Government Department, General Education Department, Haritha Keralam Mission, and other agencies.

The “Water is Life” campaign was launched under the leadership of the Haritha Keralam Mission. In line with this, activities should be undertaken to chlorinate all the wells in the state and clean the water tanks in homes and institutions on August 30 and 31.

This has been proven effective in preventing waterborne diseases, including amoebic encephalitis. It should be ensured that all wells in the local government area are chlorinated and that all water tanks are cleaned.

The Chief Minister also requested that the governing body have active leadership to plan campaign activities accurately and implement them in a timely and effective manner.

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