Brain fever: DYFI announces mass chlorination drive in Kerala's waterbodies

Thiruvanthapuram, Sep 17 (PTI) DYFI, the youth wing of the ruling CPI (M), on Wednesday announced that it would launch a mass chlorination drive in water bodies across Kerala in view of the increasing spread of the amoebic meningoencephalitis cases.

A rare brain fever that has claimed nearly 20 lives in the state in recent months, the infection is primarily contracted through swimming or bathing in contaminated water.

In a Facebook post, the the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) state unit said that the Health Department is already carrying out activities to clean and chlorinate water bodies to prevent the disease.

The DYFI youth brigade would join hands with this initiative to clean and chlorinate water bodies across the state, its state secretariat said.

This disease usually occurs when dirty water, mixed with mud, enters the nose, the FB post said adding that the amoeba is rarely found thriving in well-chlorinated and purified water bodies.

In view of the situation, the Kerala Health Department recently issued special guidelines for the treatment of amoebic meningoencephalitis, caused by free-living amoeba in contaminated waters. PTI LGK SA