Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], the Kerala government on Friday held a meeting to discuss issues related to amoebic meningoencephalitis under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
CM Vijayan instructed people to avoid swimming in dirty water bodies. He stressed that swimming pools must be adequately chlorinated.
"Children are particularly susceptible to this disease, so special caution should be taken when entering bodies of water. Using nose clips when swimming can help prevent infection," he said.
The Chief Minister also urged everyone to ensure that water bodies are kept clean.
The meeting was attended by Health Minister Veena George, Chief Secretary Dr. Venu V., Health Department Additional Chief Secretary Rajan Khobragade and Institute of Virology Director Dr. E. Sreekumar.
Earlier on July 2, Kerala Health Minister Veena George held a high-level meeting of the health department in the backdrop of two deaths and one case of hospitalization due to amoebic meningoencephalitis in the last two months.
In particular, amebic meningoencephalitis is a very rare disease in people who have contact with sources of stagnant or running water. There are very few studies and scientific results on this rare disease. Statistics indicate that only 2.6 out of every 10 lakh people who come in contact with such water in the world contract this disease. The disease usually occurs when Naegleria fowleri, a type of amoeba, infects the brain.
This disease is not transmitted from person to person. The amoeba that lives in stagnant water enters the human body through the thin skin of the nose and causes encephalitis, which seriously affects the brain. Free-living amoebas are generally found in stagnant bodies of water. Bacteria from the amoeba family are transmitted through the fine pores of the nose when bathing in drains or swimming pools. It enters the human body and seriously affects the brain and causes encephalitis.
Symptoms appear between one and nine days after infection. The main symptoms are severe headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and difficulty turning the neck. Later, when it reaches a critical state, symptoms such as epilepsy, loss of consciousness and memory loss occur. The diagnosis is made by taking fluid from the spinal cord and analyzing it. People who bathe in standing water should report these symptoms and seek treatment.
CM Vijayan instructed people to avoid swimming in dirty water bodies. He stressed that swimming pools must be adequately chlorinated.
"Children are particularly susceptible to this disease, so special caution should be taken when entering bodies of water. Using nose clips when swimming can help prevent infection," he said.
The Chief Minister also urged everyone to ensure that water bodies are kept clean.
The meeting was attended by Health Minister Veena George, Chief Secretary Dr. Venu V., Health Department Additional Chief Secretary Rajan Khobragade and Institute of Virology Director Dr. E. Sreekumar.
Earlier on July 2, Kerala Health Minister Veena George held a high-level meeting of the health department in the backdrop of two deaths and one case of hospitalization due to amoebic meningoencephalitis in the last two months.
In particular, amebic meningoencephalitis is a very rare disease in people who have contact with sources of stagnant or running water. There are very few studies and scientific results on this rare disease. Statistics indicate that only 2.6 out of every 10 lakh people who come in contact with such water in the world contract this disease. The disease usually occurs when Naegleria fowleri, a type of amoeba, infects the brain.
This disease is not transmitted from person to person. The amoeba that lives in stagnant water enters the human body through the thin skin of the nose and causes encephalitis, which seriously affects the brain. Free-living amoebas are generally found in stagnant bodies of water. Bacteria from the amoeba family are transmitted through the fine pores of the nose when bathing in drains or swimming pools. It enters the human body and seriously affects the brain and causes encephalitis.
Symptoms appear between one and nine days after infection. The main symptoms are severe headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and difficulty turning the neck. Later, when it reaches a critical state, symptoms such as epilepsy, loss of consciousness and memory loss occur. The diagnosis is made by taking fluid from the spinal cord and analyzing it. People who bathe in standing water should report these symptoms and seek treatment.
