Kerala Launches Field Study to Investigate Amoebic Meningoencephalitis Cases

Kozhikode: As Kerala grapples with a surge in amoebic meningoencephalitis cases, a comprehensive field study to identify the causes and patterns of the rare brain infection began in Kozhikode on Tuesday.The study is being conducted by Kerala Medical Education Department, state health department, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE). Health department initiated the study amid growing criticism that no scientific investigation was undertaken even as the number of amoebic fever cases had risen significantly over the past two years.The field study began in Kozhikode on Tuesday with expert teams from ICMR, NIE and health department – divided into three groups – visiting areas where the disease has been reported.They visited homes of patients who tested positive and assessed their environmental and living conditions. The teams conducted studies at Omassery, Annassery and Velliparamba where cases had been reported over the past two months.Medical college principal K G Sajeeth Kumar accompanied the expert teams. The teams will examine around 15 cases reported in the district from Jul to Oct. Subsequent field-level studies would be conducted in Thiruvananthapuram and Malappuram.According to official data, 144 cases of amoebic brain fever were confirmed in Kerala this year with 30 reported deaths. The state reported 56 cases and nine deaths this month.District health officials said expert teams were collecting detailed information from affected households and neighbouring homes via questionnaires that focussed on living conditions, water sources and personal habits. "Sample collection is not being done since they were already collected and chlorination was carried out after cases were reported," said a senior official.Earlier, health department faced flak as it had not released accurate data on confirmed cases as many were termed as ‘suspected' for a long time. Subsequently, the department decided to regularly update confirmed case figures on its official website.