A 9-year-old girl has died of brain-eating amoeba in Kozhikode district of Kerala. Two other patients are undergoing treatment in critical condition, one of which is on the ventilator. After this incident, the Health Department has issued a warning and advised people to follow the security guidelines.
According to the information, the disease spreads from an infection called amybic meningo encephalitis, which is caused by the amoeba species found in water. This infection affects the brain and in most cases it is seen in people who take bath or swim in stagnant water. Amoeba can reach the mind through the nose and ears.
9-year-old girl dies due to brain-eating amoeba
Experts say that this disease does not spread from humans to humans. But its mortality rate is quite high. Symptoms of infection emerge in 5 to 10 days. These include severe headache, fever, vomiting, difficulty in beating the neck and difficulty in looking at the lights. Children may also show symptoms like decrease in desire to eat, avoiding playing, weakening memory and seizures.
The Health Department has advised people to avoid bathing or swimming in the stagnant water. Those going to the swimming pool have been instructed to use the clip on the nose, regular chlorination of water and not take a dip in dirty water.
Health department advised to avoid stagnant water
Cleanliness of wells and swimming pools has been asked to be done regularly under the guidance of health workers. District Medical Officer Dr. KK Rajaram has said that people are required to follow the instructions issued by the department, so that the infection can be avoided.
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