A 26-year-old woman undergoing treatment for suspected amoebic meningoencephalitis, also known as brain fever, died on Friday at the Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, health department officials said.

The deceased has been identified as Arya, a nurse by profession, native of Neerkunnam near Ambalapuzha in Alappuzha district. She is the daughter of Kalathil Vijayan and Ambily.

Officials said her condition worsened on Thursday night, following which she died on Friday.

Treatment history from Alappuzha to Thiruvananthapuram

Arya had initially been admitted to a hospital in Alappuzha last month after developing symptoms of amoebic meningoencephalitis. She was later shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram for advanced treatment.

She had previously worked as a nurse in Bengaluru. She resigned from her job and returned to her native place around three months ago, reportedly in connection with plans to go abroad.

She began showing symptoms of the infection about a month ago and first sought treatment at the Vandanam Medical College Hospital. After treatment, she was discharged following improvement and returned home.

However, the symptoms reappeared later. She was then admitted to a private hospital and subsequently shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. She had been under treatment there for the past 18 days before her condition deteriorated on Thursday night, leading to her death on Friday.

Amoebic meningoencephalitis and state health alert

Amoebic meningoencephalitis is caused by microorganisms such as Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba, which are found in contaminated water bodies.

Officials noted that the death comes after a brief lull in reported cases of the infection in the state. The health department had recently issued an alert warning of the possibility of fresh cases, citing prevailing climatic conditions.

The exact source of infection in Arya’s case has not been identified. The state has previously reported deaths linked to amoebic meningoencephalitis, including cases involving children.