PAM deaths in Kerala and Missouri from warm freshwater

A nine-year-old girl from Thamarassery in Kerala’s Kozhikode district has died from primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare brain infection caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba. Health officials said the illness likely sickened the child after contact with a freshwater source, and investigators are trying to identify the exact water body, such as a pond or lake, involved. Officials also noted that this could be the district’s fourth PAM case this year. Separately, in the United States, a Missouri resident died after contracting the same brain-eating amoeba, with authorities pointing to recent recreational water use at the Lake of the Ozarks as the probable exposure. Public health agencies warned that while infections are extremely rare, they are nearly always fatal.

PAM is caused by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living microorganism found in warm freshwater and soil around the world. The infection occurs when the amoeba enters the body through the nose, travels to the brain via the olfactory nerve, and destroys brain tissue, leading to brain swelling. It is not transmitted by drinking contaminated water and is not contagious between people. Symptoms typically begin with...