Encephalitis outbreak reported in Kanpur; 30 medical students infected

Kanpur has reported an outbreak of acute necrotizing encephalitis (ANE).

The medicos of GSVM medical college contracted this disease and more than 30 medical students are down with high grade fever.

ANE has been confirmed in seven of them.

According to official sources, the first case was reported earlier this week when a third-year student from Barabanki was brought to LLR hospital's ICU with high fever and severe headache.

She was confirmed to be infected with ANE on Tuesday.

The patient later slipped into coma and is on life support, said the medical college officials.

They said that blood samples of 69 students were taken on Tuesday and Wednesday and have been sent to King George's Medical University in Lucknow for examination.

The outbreak of ANE and fever gripped the medical college campus within four days of more than 20 pigs being found dead.

"We have admitted five medicos with ANE in special maternity ward and two of them are on ventilator," said a senior doctor.

Vice principal Dr Richa Giri said a student was admitted to LLR hospital with high fever and severe headache.

She went unconscious and was currently comatose. The medical tests suggested she was infected with ANE which had spread in her brain. Her parents have been informed.

After this, the doctors examined the students in boys' and girls' hostels on Wednesday and found six more with ANE symptoms.

Three students were of third year, two of para-2 and one of final year. Five of them were rushed to the special maternity ward and one to the ICU, Giri said. They all had ANE, she added.

The number of students with fever and severe headache was more than 30 and special teams were monitoring their condition.

In view of the prevailing situation, the medical college administration has cancelled the terminal exams. Dr Giri said as per the students, they were not fit to give these exams following which the decision was taken.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors comprising Dr Yashwant Rao and Dr Anand Narain Singh toured the campus and found 16 more dead pigs.

All of them were buried on the campus.

Medical college spokesman Dr Ganesh Shankar said it was possible that the spread of the disease on the campus was due to the pigs and the unhygienic conditions they caused.

Neurologist in GSVM medical college Dr Alok Varma said ANE was rare. MRI scan had shown blood clotting in the brain with swelling.

Apart from this, there were unknown viruses in the body.

--IANS

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