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A team of experts from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE), Chennai, and the State Health department have completed their field visits in Kozhikode district as part of a study into the recent surge of amoebic meningoencephalitis cases in Kerala. Till October 31, the State has reported 153 confirmed cases of the infection and 33 deaths. The ICMR-NIE study is focussing on Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram districts, which accounted for a majority of the cases in 2024 and this year. Sources said that the team arrived in Kozhikode on October 27 and held discussions with the authorities at the Government Medical College Hospital. They started visiting the houses of the infected persons on October 28. Over five days, the team visited 75 houses at places such as Velliparamba, Omassery, Annassery, Naduvannur, Kizhakkoth, Pantheerankavu, Nallalam and Vengalam. This includes the houses of 15 infected persons and four others each in their vicinity. The team was divided into three groups, which also had doctors from the Community Medicine department at the Kozhikode MCH, epidemiologists, and members of the district surveillance office. They spoke to the family members of the infected persons and collected water samples from the premises.
