LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The paradox of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis — a rare disease, but commonly misdiagnosed

Madam, the colossal expansion of the world s population in recent times has observed a proportional increase in the incidence of rare parasitic diseases such as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The paucity of available data on the disease can be judged by the fact that there have been fewer than 500 confirmed cases up till now. However, newly diagnosed cases of PAM are increasingly being reported worldwide which reflects the ubiquity of the disease. Most of these cases have been reported from developed regions such as USA, Australia and Europe. However, advances in diagnostic protocols in developing countries such as Pakistan have also led to a few reports being published from these regions. Examples include the recent reports of four fatal cases of PAM from Karachi, in the month of July 2012.