Friday, December 05, 2025 | 02:10 PM ISTहिंदी में पढें

Encephalitis

An autoimmune encephalitis wiped a man's memory. Here's how he's coping

My year of unraveling is how a despairing Christy Morrill described nightmarish months when his immune system hijacked his brain. What's called autoimmune encephalitis attacks the organ that makes us us, and it can appear out of the blue. Morrill went for a bike ride with friends along the California coast, stopping for lunch, and they noticed nothing wrong. Neither did Morrill until his wife asked how it went and he'd forgotten. Morrill would get worse before he got better. Unhinged and fighting to see light, he wrote as delusions set in and holes in his memory grew. Of all the ways our immune system can run amok and damage the body instead of protecting it, autoimmune encephalitis is one of the most unfathomable. Seemingly healthy people abruptly spiral with confusion, memory loss, seizures, even psychosis. But doctors are getting better at identifying it, thanks to discoveries of a growing list of the rogue antibodies responsible that, if found in blood and spinal fluid, aid ..

Updated On : 25 Nov 2025 | 1:31 PM IST

Rare but ruthless: Deadly brain-eating amoeba claims 19 lives in Kerala

The mother of a nine-year-old girl who died after contracting the so-called "brain-eating amoeba" says she is still struggling to comprehend the loss. "I cannot believe my daughter is gone," a sobbing mother said, adding that there was no clear information from health authorities on how the child became infected. The girl, hailing from Kozhikode, is among those who have succumbed in recent months to Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, a rare but almost always fatal brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri. Kerala has been grappling with a rare but deadly disease that has claimed the lives of 19 people in recent months. The culprit is a microscopic parasite known as Naegleria fowleri, more commonly called the "brain-eating amoeba", which causes a condition known as Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, or PAM. The infection is almost always fatal, killing more than 98 per cent of those who contract it. Over 70 cases have been reported in the state this year. The amoeba is found

Updated On : 18 Sep 2025 | 11:56 AM IST

Another man in Kerala dies of rare brain infection, 11 under treatment

A 45-year-old man died from amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and often fatal brain infection, while undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, health officials said on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Ratheesh, a native of Sultan Bathery here. He was also suffering from cardiac issues, they said. As many as 11 people are now under treatment at the medical college in Kozhikode with the symptoms of the disease, the officials added. Three persons had succumbed to amoebic brain fever in the state in August. In view of the deaths, the Kerala Health department recently issued special guidelines for the treatment of amoebic meningoencephalitis, the rare brain infection caused by free-living amoeba in contaminated waters. According to health officials, amoebic meningoencephalitis is primarily contracted through swimming or bathing in contaminated water. A total of 42 cases have been reported across Kerala this year, they added.

Updated On : 06 Sep 2025 | 2:29 PM IST

Two more deaths in Kerala from amoebic meningoencephalitis, toll rises to 3

Two people, including a three-month-old infant, have died from amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and often fatal brain infection, while undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, health officials said on Monday. With these deaths, the toll from the amoebic brain fever in the state has risen to three within August, officials said. The deceased infant was the son of Abubacker Siddique from Omassery in this district and had been receiving treatment at the hospital for the past month. His condition worsened on Sunday, leading to his death in the ICU, an official said. The other victim, Ramla (52) of Kappil in Malappuram district, developed symptoms on July 8. She was initially treated at a private hospital and later shifted to Kozhikode Medical College as her condition deteriorated. According to health officials, eight other patients from Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Wayanad districts are currently undergoing treatment at the hospital. Earlier, on August 14, a ...