Uttar Pradesh: Dead pigs, disease outbreak plague Kanpur's medical college

Kanpur: An outbreak of acute necrotizing encephalitis (ANE) has been recorded at the GSVM medical college in Kanpur. Over 30 medical students in the college are down with a high fever of which seven have been diagnosed with ANE.

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

She was confirmed to be infected with ANE on Tuesday. The patient later slipped into a coma and was put on life support, said the medical college officials. The medical tests suggested she was infected with ANE which had spread in her brain.

Blood samples of 69 students were reportedly sent to King George's Medical University, Lucknow, for examination. Given the prevailing situation, the medical college administration has canceled the terminal exams.

Pigs on campus?

Within four days of more than 20 pigs being discovered dead, an ANE outbreak and fever swept over the campus of the medical institution. Medical college spokesman, Dr. Ganesh Shankar, said the spread of the disease on the campus might have been due to the pigs and the unhygienic conditions they caused.

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

Neurologist in GSVM medical college Dr. Alok Varma said ANE was rare. MRI scans have shown blood clotting in the brain with swelling. Apart from this, there were unknown viruses in the body.