Overview

• Kerala has recorded 72 infections and 19 deaths so far in 2025, compared with 36 infections and nine deaths in 2024.
• Authorities report 24 infections and nine deaths in September alone, marking a concentrated monthly surge.
• Taskforce member Dr. Altaf Ali says cases are geographically dispersed rather than clustered, leading to expanded case-finding and treatment efforts.
• Health agencies explain the amoeba lives in warm freshwater and infects people when contaminated water enters the nose, not through person-to-person transmission.
• The CDC describes infections as very rare but about 95% fatal once the brain is affected, and roughly 550 cases have been reported worldwide since 1962, mostly in the United States, India, Pakistan and Australia.