Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday urged people not to swim in freshwater in the wake of rising cases of amoebic meningoencephalitis in the state, the news agency ANI reported.
Tharoor expressed concern after the state reported 69 cases of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), known for its high fatality rate, since the beginning of this year.
Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the ‘brain-eating’ amoeba is found to be behind 19 deaths with 52 reported cases as of September 12.
The Congress MP said told news agency ANI: ‘It is a very sad story. A lot of people have caught this fatal virus by swimming in the freshwater. It seems very dangerous. Some doctors are advising people not to swim in fresh water until some other solution can be found. I can just endorse that request to everybody: Don't take risk, don't go in freshwater’.
The ‘untreated natural water’ according to him remains a threat, adding that ‘I think seawater, soft water is fine. Your water at home is fine, and chlorinated swimming pool water is fine, but unfortunately, not swimming in freshwater’.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George confirmed that there have been 69 PAM cases with 19 deaths so far this year, adding there is no cluster of PAM cases in 2025 but there were clusters linked to a common water source in 2024.
In the midst of growing concern, authorities including the NCDC and the Kerala Health Department are reportedly closely monitoring the situation.