Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala government has received the first batch of a medicine to treat the highly rare amoebic meningoencephalitis disease, as donation from a UAE based entrepreneur, on Monday. This development follows the recent detection of six cases of this disease within the State.

Two boys, aged 14 and 12, have successfully recovered from the disease, which has a 97% fatality rate. Medical teams continue to provide treatment to two other affected children at a hospital in Kozhikode, while three children have succumbed to the disease over the past two months.

Kerala Health Minister, Veena George, had said on July 22 that globally, only 11 individuals have ever recovered from amoebic meningoencephalitis. The donated medicine, provided to the State by UAE-based healthcare pioneer Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, was sourced from Germany at no cost.

In a statement, issued by hospital group VPS Healthcare, George was quoted as saying, "When the cases were recently reported in Kerala, we consulted with the central government, and identified Miltefosine as a crucial drug. However, its availability in India is very limited."

"Thanks to the support of Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil and VPS Healthcare, this essential medicine has been handed over to the (state) government," she said.

Amoebic meningoencephalitis, a lethal infection of the central nervous system caused by free-living amoebae, typically originates from freshwater bodies such as lakes, rivers, and streams.

The healthcare consortium responsible for the donation responded following the identification of six confirmed cases of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) in Kerala. The Minister received the first shipment on Monday and it "contained a box of 56 medicines valued at Rs 3.19 lakh", according to the statement. A second batch of Miltefosine, a crucial medication, is anticipated to arrive imminently.

According to reports, Miltefosine operates by penetrating the blood-brain barrier effectively and concentrates within brain tissue, rendering it a vital therapeutic option against infections like PAM, though its exact mechanism remains not fully understood.

"Initially developed in the 1980s as an anti-cancer agent, Miltefosine is now the only recognised oral treatment for leishmaniasis, a disease spread by sandflies. The drug has also shown promise against rare but deadly free-living amoebae infections, such as PAM and granulomatous amebic encephalitis (GAE)," it said.

In an effort led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, a special meeting convened on July 5 prioritised the establishment of molecular testing facilities to quickly confirm the disease during its early stages. Earlier on May 28, the Health Minister had convened a meeting to prepare treatment protocols under expert guidance, leading to the release of comprehensive treatment protocol for amoebic meningoencephalitis on July 20, marking a first-of-its-kind initiative nationwide, as stated by the state health department.

Previously, instances of this disease had surfaced in Kerala's coastal Alappuzha district in both 2023 and 2017.

Agencies