At least 19 people in Kerala have died this year from Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare but fatal brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the “brain-eating amoeba.”

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Thursday that unlike last year, there has been no cluster outbreak in 2025. All 69 confirmed cases so far have been isolated incidents. In 2024, several cluster outbreaks were linked to people using the same water sources, she added.

PAM is a form of amoebic encephalitis that infects the central nervous system, usually through contaminated freshwater. The infection destroys brain tissue, causes severe swelling, and is almost always fatal, mostly affecting children, teenagers and young adults.

According to Kerala’s health department, exposure often occurs while swimming or diving in warm freshwater, or through the use of neti pots in sinus treatment. In most cases, patients die within one to two weeks of infection.

The symptoms resemble bacterial meningitis — including headaches, fever, vomiting and nausea — making diagnosis difficult. In some cases, patients lose their sense of smell or taste. The disease typically progresses rapidly, turning critical within hours to two days.

Source: Hindustan Times

The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has introduced a new regulation stipulating that a stray dog identified as biting a pedestrian twice without provocation will be kept in an animal centre for life. Under the measure, a first bite triggers an investigation if the victim receives an anti-rabies vaccine; the identified dog will be disinfected, microchipped and held under observation for 10 days before release.

A three-member committee — comprising a veterinarian, an animal behaviour specialist and a municipal official — will determine whether a bite occurred without provocation. If the same dog again bites someone without cause, it will face lifelong confinement in an animal facility.

The law also allows conditional release: if someone adopts a dog under lifelong confinement and pledges not to abandon it or release it to the streets — and complies with other care conditions — the confinement sentence can be lifted, though the animal must not be returned to public roads.

Source: NDTV.

At least 61 migrants have died after a boat caught fire off the coast of Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Thirteen survivors are currently receiving medical treatment.

The vessel, carrying 74 people, departed from Sudan on Sunday, September 14. On Tuesday, September 16, it caught fire and sank near the Libyan coast. Only 13 people were rescued alive, confirmed the UN refugee agency.

While the cause of the fire remains unclear, officials suspect overcrowding and lack of safety measures contributed to the disaster. The Mediterranean continues to be one of the deadliest routes for migrants trying to reach Europe from Africa.

Just last month, 68 people died in a similar incident off the coast of Yemen. IOM data shows that in 2024 alone, at least 2,452 migrants died or went missing while attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing.