In the nearby state of Kerala, few deaths have occurred recently due to encephalitis caused by brain eating amoeba.
Now, the TN public health director, Dr. T. Selvavinayagam has advised the residents not to take bath in the water bodies like ponds and lakes etc due to the spread of encephalitis due to brain eating amoeba microorganism.
It must be noted that encephalitis is due to amoeba present in the contaminated water. By penetrating through the respiratory tract, this amoeba would lead to brain inflammation.
Various symptoms that are associated with this issue are vomiting, fever, fainting, headache, mental confusion etc. Death would occur if the person affected is not treated immediately.
A circular was sent by the director of Public health and it was mentioned in the circular that the general public especially children should not bathe in the stagnant water, dirty or polluted water. He added that the local bodies must make sure that the water bodies are present in clean environment. As per the govt guidelines, all private as well as the public swimming pool must be kept clean.
The director in the circular has mentioned that a certain amount of chlorine must be mixed with water. Officials must ensure that the water bodies are clean. Getting down in the water bodies and swimming etc must not be allowed. Those patients who come to the hospitals with encephalitis symptoms must undergo intensive medical monitoring. Lastly, those patients who need advanced treatments must be referred to hospitals with such facilities.