Sun Feb 23 15:31:26 UTC 2025: ## Woman Dies of Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba Infection in India
**Kozhikode, Kerala, February 24, 2025** – A 39-year-old woman succumbed to primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), also known as a brain-eating amoeba infection, at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala, on Sunday. The woman, a resident of Chengottukavu near Koyilandy, had been receiving treatment in the hospital’s intensive care unit for approximately three weeks after being initially admitted to the Government General Hospital. Doctors confirmed the diagnosis of PAM on February 4th.
PAM is caused by *Naegleria fowleri*, an amoeba typically found in warm freshwater sources such as lakes, ponds, and rivers. While rare, the amoeba can also be found in poorly maintained swimming pools. The infection is fatal as the amoeba attacks and destroys brain tissue.
According to reports, Kerala saw 19 cases of PAM in 2024, with 14 patients successfully treated. This latest fatality underscores the potential danger of this rare but serious infection.
First Piper 