KOZHIKODE: A fresh case of amoebic encephalitis has been reported from this north Kerala district with a woman testing positive for the rare brain infection, caused by a free-living amoeba found in contaminated waters, health officials said on Thursday.

The latest case was confirmed on Wednesday in tests carried out on a 43-year-old woman, a senior health official of the district said.

With this, the total number of patients undergoing treatment for the infection at the Kozhikode Medical College here has risen to 10, the official said.

The patients include 4 children, two of whom are relatives of a nine-year-old girl who died due to amoebic encephalitis earlier this month, he said.

The patients hail from Kozhikode, Wayanad and Malappuram districts, he added.

Caused by free-living amoeba, amoebic encephalitis is a deadly infection that is typically contracted from freshwater sources such as lakes, rivers, and streams.