Health Alert: Rare ‘Amoebic Meningitis’ Case Triggers Water Body Audit in South Kolkata

KOLKATA: The West Bengal Health Department has issued a high-priority advisory after a 14-year-old boy from the Kasba-Haltu area was diagnosed with Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM). This rare and often fatal brain infection is caused by the Naegleria fowleri amoeba, which thrives in warm, stagnant freshwater. The boy is currently in “critical condition” at a private multi-specialty hospital.

This incident has prompted the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to begin an immediate “chlorination audit” of all public ponds and water bodies in South Kolkata. Public health experts suggest that the recent fluctuations in temperature, combined with unseasonal rains, have created an ideal breeding ground for such pathogens.

The KMC has warned citizens against using untreated pond water for bathing or nasal irrigation. “While the incidence of PAM is extremely low, its 97% fatality rate means we cannot take any risks,” said a senior health official. Ward-level health workers have been instructed to conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns regarding the dangers of using non-potable water during the ongoing heatwave.