Kozhikode: A 12-year-old boy admitted to a private hospital in Kozhikode has tested positive for Amoebic meningoencephalitis. This is the third case to be reported in the state in the last two months. The boy’s condition is critical and is under ventilator support, doctors said.
“It has been confirmed that the boy is suffering from typical Amoebic encephalitis. We are trying our best to save the patient. We are giving him all possible medicines, but there are lesser chances for the medicine to be effective because of the rare nature of the disease,” said Dr Abdul Rauf, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist at BMH Hospital, Kozhikode.
Read: Amoebic meningoencephalitis: All about the disease
The 12-year-old boy was admitted to hospital on Monday. As he was showing the symptoms of the Amoebic encephalitis, the hospital authorities sent the sample for a further confirmation. The boy had bathed in a pond called Achankulam, in Farook College area.
The authorities have banned people from venturing into the pond. ” Right now entry to the pond is restricted. We have alerted the people who had bathed in pond and instructed to report to nearby health centre if anybody shows any symptom of fever or other health issues,” said R. Shaji Kumar, head of the Clean City Project in the Ramanattukara Municipality.
Last week, a 13-year-old girl from Kannur died of amoebic meningoencephalitis. A month ago, a 5 year old girl from Munniyoor passed away at Government Medical College in Kozhikode.