Both died on Sunday after receiving treatment for several weeks at the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital (MCH). This brings the total number of deaths from the infection in the state to three this year.
The baby, from Omassery in Kozhikode, had been in the ICU for 28 days and was on a ventilator. Initial checks suggest the infection came from contaminated water in a well at their home. Water from the well tested positive for the amoeba.
The second person to die, Ramla, 52, from Malappuram, had been fighting the infection for about a month and a half. Her condition got worse, and she was admitted to Kozhikode MCH, where doctors diagnosed the infection. Despite showing signs of getting better at first, she passed away on Sunday morning.
A new case of the infection has also been reported in Kozhikode.
Dr. Sajith Kumar, the principal of Kozhikode MCH, said the infection was caused by the Naegleria amoeba entering the patients’ brains. He noted that the woman also had heart problems and the baby had low immunity.
Currently, 10 patients are being treated for the same infection at the hospital, with two in critical condition. The state’s health department has told local groups to clean wells and ponds, and to add chlorine to water sources to stop the disease from spreading. So far this year, there have been 42 confirmed cases in the state.
With input from TNIE
For more details: Navamalayalam.com
