(Reuters) -An increase in cases of a rare but fatal form of encephalitis has put authorities in India’s southern state of Kerala on alert, forcing them to step up testing to address what they say is a serious public health challenge.

Kerala has reported around 69 cases of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) since the beginning of this year including 19 deaths following contact with Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the “brain-eating” amoeba, the state health minister told the state assembly on Wednesday.

Three of the deaths occurred in the last month, including that of a three-month old infant.

“Unlike last year, we are not seeing clusters linked to a single water source. These are single, isolated cases, which has complicated our epidemiological investigations,” minister Veena

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