Kerala battles rare ‘brain-eating amoeba’ infection: 23 deaths, 104 cases reported so far

Kerala battles rare ‘brain-eating amoeba’ infection: 23 deaths, 104 cases reported so far

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), October 12, 2025 (ANI): A total of 104 cases of amoebic encephalitis (brain fever) have been reported so far in Kerala, of which 23 patients have died, state health minister Veena George said on Sunday.

The state is battling the rare and often fatal brain infection caused by the "brain-eating amoeba" Naegleria fowleri.

Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts have been most affected according to estimates, while cases are also increasing in Kozhikode and Malappuram.

"Following the Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode in 2023, it was decided and directed that all cases of encephalitis (brain fever) must be mandatorily reported and that the causes behind such cases should be ident