The southern Indian state of Kerala is battling a growing health crisis following an outbreak of a rare "brain-eating amoeba" that has killed 19 people and infected dozens more, officials confirmed on Thursday.

The disease, known as Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), is caused by naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba found in warm freshwater and soil. Once it enters the body through the nose, the organism attacks brain tissue, triggering rapid swelling and inflammation that can prove fatal within days.

The patients in Kerala have ranged in age from three months to 91 years, complicating efforts to trace common exposure sources or contain the spread.

Health Minister Veena George has described the situation as a "serious public health concern." Unlike earlier years when outbreaks were concentrated in clusters linked to a single water source, "we are not seeing clusters linked to a single water source," George told NDTV News. "These are single, isolated cases, which has complicated our epidemiological investigations."

She also stressed the importance of a swift medical response: "Early detection is key," she said, noting that Kerala's survival rate of 24% is significantly higher than the global average of less than 3%. This relative success, she added, was due to timely diagnosis and the use of the anti-parasitic drug miltefosine.

A government doctor told AFP that case numbers remain small but "tests are being conducted on a large scale across the state to detect and treat cases." Officials have stepped up water-sanitation measures and are urging the public to avoid unchlorinated or stagnant freshwater sources.

According to a Kerala government document cited by News18, PAM primarily targets the central nervous system and disproportionately affects otherwise healthy children, teenagers, and young adults. Experts stress that infection does not occur from drinking contaminated water but when it enters the nasal passages - typically during swimming, bathing, or diving in unsafe water.

Brain-eating amoeba kills 19 in India -- RT India