Kerala has recorded 155 confirmed cases of amoebic meningoencephalitis and 41 related deaths between January and July 2026, according to state health department data reported by ETV Bharat on 27 July. The disease, often called the brain-eating amoeba infection, is a rare but usually fatal infection of the brain, and the numbers in Kerala have grown sharply over the past three years.
The report was prompted by another death. Biju, a 49-year-old autorickshaw driver from Thettikkunnu in Naderi, Koyilandy, in Kozhikode district, died early on Monday, 27 July, in the intensive care unit of the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital. He had tested positive on 23 July. Investigators found no evidence that he had visited a public water body, and the report says that well water is the likely source of the infection, with samples collected from his house and the surrounding area.
The year-on-year figures are given by other outlets. A Deccan Herald headline reported 133 infections and 33 deaths in 2026 as of mid-June, so the toll rose by 22 cases and eight deaths in about six weeks if both reports use the same definitions. For earlier years, reports say that Kerala recorded 36 or 39 cases and nine deaths in 2024, and that the total in 2025 was 170 cases and 42 deaths according to the Centre, while another report gave 201 cases and 47 deaths and a third said 53 deaths. The 2025 figures therefore differ by source, and the safest reading is that 2026 is already at or above the 2025 death toll.
The infection is caused mainly by Naegleria fowleri, a free-living amoeba found in warm fresh water. It typically enters through the nose when contaminated water is inhaled, for example while bathing or diving in ponds. It cannot be caught by drinking water in the usual way, which is why the department’s advice centres on bathing and diving. The sources do not say how Biju was infected, and the possible link with well water is being investigated.
The department has warned people against bathing or diving in potentially contaminated water bodies and has stressed regular chlorination of drinking water sources. Wells should be cleaned and chlorinated, and nasal contact with untreated water should be avoided.
The early symptoms are headache, fever, nausea and neck stiffness, and later stages can include seizures, unconsciousness and memory loss, according to the report. The illness progresses quickly, so doctors advise seeking medical care immediately for these symptoms after exposure to fresh water. The report does not discuss treatment options.
The fatality rate is striking. With 155 cases and 41 deaths in the January to July period, about one in four confirmed patients died, which is IndiaX24’s own calculation from the published totals. The sources reviewed do not explain the difference between the numbers of cases and deaths.
The increase may reflect both more cases and better detection, since the state has been testing more intensively for the amoeba, but the sources reviewed do not give a definitive explanation. Researchers and health authorities will watch whether the numbers fall as water safety measures take effect.
For residents, the main messages are simple: avoid swimming or diving in stagnant fresh water, keep wells and tanks chlorinated, and see a doctor promptly for severe headache and fever after water exposure.
Featured image: A hospital building (file photo, Ludhiana; a stand-in image, not related to the Kerala cases). Photo by Ashishraj27, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.