Amoebic meningoencephalitis: Kerala Health dept. moots collaborative study with ICMR-NIE

The health department in Kerala has reported that the National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), which came in accordance with the Indian Medical Research Council (ICMR), plans to carry out a collaborative study to determine the risk factors responsible for the last amobic meningoencephalitis in the state.

Sources explained Hindu On Tuesday, this will be a case control study (an observational study to look at factors linked to diseases or results). Two groups will be defined: People with a particular health result or condition (cases) and non -results (controls). Here, after the use of a particular water source, infected ones (ponds, wells, etc.) are considered as “case ve and those who are not infected after using the same water source are considered as“ control .. Amoeba menenoencephalitis, a rare but deadly brain infection, is caused by a free -living amoeba found in water bodies.

Epidemiological profile (with patterns, statistical properties and data on determinants, prevalence, distribution and risk factors of a population in a population) and the natural history of the cases of amip meninkephalitis reported in Kerala in 2024 can be published later.

The sources said that another proposal was to do a work associated with Bengaluru, the Indian Science Institute for the genomic sequence of amoeba isolates collected from various water sources. Cooperations will also be established with the Department of Medical Parasitology at the Chandigarh and Pudducherry Shopping Center Institute of Medical Research Institute.

Abiotic factors (live components) and biotic factors (non -living components) that affect free -living amoeba growth that cause infections will be examined in cooperation with the State Pollution Control Board and the Department of Environmental Engineering of Kerala University. The surface water bodies in the affected areas will need to be done to formulate an action plan to reduce supervision, supervision, supervision survey.

Public Health Specialist T. Jayakrishnan and former Professor Kozhikode, Naegleria fowleri, such as infection causing the concentration of amoebae to find the higher concentration of water bodies should be mapped, he noted. Surveillance plans can be designed by focusing on these special areas. The authority added that the causes of high concentrations in these areas should be examined.