Sick students to get compensation
By Lu Feiran |
September 6, 2011, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Northeast Agricultural University in Heilongjiang Province yesterday said it will compensate students who were infected with brucellosis while dissecting goats.
Each will receive about 61,000 yuan (US$9,552), including cash subsidies and tuition waivers.
Up to yesterday, 17 students had signed the compensation deal, according to Xinhua news agency.
A total of 27 students and a teacher developed brucellosis, also known as undulant fever because feverish spells come and go, after anatomy experiments on goats in December. Ten students are still in hospital.
The university has halted all animal experiments and is formulating new lab regulations to guard against a recurrence.
Brucellosis, a bacterial infection classified as severe, produces serious flu-like symptoms, including recurrent fevers, headache and joint pain.
The disease can persist and recur for years, with potential complications that include chronic fatigue, encephalitis and meningitis.
Brucellosis is caught through contact with infected meat or dairy products. It is not communicable among humans and is treated with antibiotics.
Students started suffering these symptoms some weeks after infection. By March, one of the students could not walk because of joint pain and was carried on his mother's back to school.
The province's education department later found the disease stemmed from the four goats used in the experiments.
The department said the university should take responsibility because the employees who bought the goats from a local farm did not quarantine the animals, while instructors also failed to ensure adequate protection during the experiments.
The department fired two officials at the school and the university was told to pay all medical expenses, as well as compensation.
Each will receive about 61,000 yuan (US$9,552), including cash subsidies and tuition waivers.
Up to yesterday, 17 students had signed the compensation deal, according to Xinhua news agency.
A total of 27 students and a teacher developed brucellosis, also known as undulant fever because feverish spells come and go, after anatomy experiments on goats in December. Ten students are still in hospital.
The university has halted all animal experiments and is formulating new lab regulations to guard against a recurrence.
Brucellosis, a bacterial infection classified as severe, produces serious flu-like symptoms, including recurrent fevers, headache and joint pain.
The disease can persist and recur for years, with potential complications that include chronic fatigue, encephalitis and meningitis.
Brucellosis is caught through contact with infected meat or dairy products. It is not communicable among humans and is treated with antibiotics.
Students started suffering these symptoms some weeks after infection. By March, one of the students could not walk because of joint pain and was carried on his mother's back to school.
The province's education department later found the disease stemmed from the four goats used in the experiments.
The department said the university should take responsibility because the employees who bought the goats from a local farm did not quarantine the animals, while instructors also failed to ensure adequate protection during the experiments.
The department fired two officials at the school and the university was told to pay all medical expenses, as well as compensation.
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