Fresh case of amoebic encephalitis reported from Kerala’s Kozhikode

A fresh case of amoebic encephalitis has been reported from this north Kerala district with a woman testing positive for the rare brain infection, caused by a free-living amoeba found in contaminated waters, health officials said on Thursday (August 28, 2025).

The latest case was confirmed on Wednesday (August 27, 2025) in tests carried out on a 43-year-old woman, a senior health official of the district said.

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With this, the total number of patients undergoing treatment for the infection at the Kozhikode Medical College here has risen to 10, the official said.

The patients include 4 children, two of whom are relatives of a nine-year-old girl who died due to amoebic encephalitis earlier this month, he said.

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The patients hail from Kozhikode, Wayanad and Malappuram districts, he added.

Caused by free-living amoeba, amoebic encephalitis is a deadly infection that is typically contracted from freshwater sources such as lakes, rivers, and streams.