Since May, Kerala has reported as many as five cases of people affected by Naegleria fowleri, popularly known as the brain-eating amoeba. With the latest case being that of a 12-year-old in Thrissur, the fear around the infection is rising in the state. Mumbai experts believe the city doesn’t have to fear just yet even though it is the monsoon, but say people should be concerned about it. 

Usually found in warm fresh water, the amoeba dangerously enters the body through the nose and makes its way towards the brain. Dr Sheetal Goyal, neurologist, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central, says, “It usually breeds in contaminated waters or warm freshwater bodies. Once it enters the human body it can cause severe complications and deadly infection. The brain-eating amoeba can negatively destroy brain tissues, resulting in brain inflammation. Experts often call this disease primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). This severe yet rare infection can affect organs like the brain and spinal cord causing discomfort and pain.”