A 12-year-old boy undergoing treatment for primary amoebic meningoencephalitis at a private hospital in Kerala’s Kozhikode died on Thursday, reported The Hindu.

This is the third death due to the rare infection in the state since May. On June 25, a 13-year-old girl from Kannur died due to the infection. The first case was that of a five-year-old girl from Malappuram who died on May 21.

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis is caused by Naegleria fowleri, also known as “brain-eating amoeba”. The infection can destroy brain tissues and cause severe brain swelling.

The amoeba lives in warm freshwater, such as lakes and rivers, and can infect persons after entering the body through the nose. The infection is not contagious.

In the case of the latest death, the boy was admitted to hospital after he complained of headache and vomiting last month. He had taken a bath in a pond near the Farook College earlier, according to The Hindu.

“We identified the infection in tests done at our labs and informed the DMO [District Medical Office] who took preventive measures by closing down access to the pond where the child had bathed,” an unidentified doctor who treated the 12-year-old boy told PTI.

On June 28, the state Health Department had asked people to exercise caution, reported PTI.

“Bathing in stagnant water and diving in water should be avoided as much as possible as this disease has been reported in Kerala,” said the department. “Water in theme parks and swimming pools should be properly chlorinated to ensure that it is clean.”

The infection was earlier reported in the state’s Alappuzha district in 2023 and 2017, the news agency reported.