A 14-year-old boy in Kerala’s Kozhikode district has tested positive for amoebic meningoencephalitis, marking the state’s fourth case of the rare brain infection since May, reported PTI.

The patient was admitted to hospital on July 1 and his condition is said to be improving, the news agency reported, quoting an unidentified doctor.

The doctor said on Saturday that the infection was identified quickly and immediately treated, including with imported medicines.

Amoebic meningoencephalitis is caused by Naegleria fowleri, also known as “brain-eating amoeba”. It can destroy brain tissue and cause severe brain swelling.

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

A 12-year-old boy undergoing treatment for the disease died at a private hospital in Kozhikode on Thursday. On June 25, a 13-year-old girl from Kannur had also died due to the infection. Kerala’s first case was that of a five-year-old girl from Malappuram, who died on May 21.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, health minister Veena George and Chief Secretary V Venu had on Friday met with state government officials to discuss steps to curb the disease’s spread.

The infection has been previously reported from the state’s Alappuzha district in 2023 and 2017.