Deer dies on IIT Madras campus, anthrax suspected, vaccination on cards

Standard operating procedures are being followed in disposing the carcasses, an official said adding the area where the carcass was found has been sanitised and cordoned off. "We are going by the advice of the Wildlife Warden with regard to safety measures on campus," an official said.

Madras: A deer has died on the IIT-Madras campus of anthrax, the fourth to have succumbed to the highly infectious zoonotic disease in the last two days.

An IIT Madras spokesman while confirming the four deer deaths in the last two days said one sample has tested positive for Anthrax while the other three sample tests were "inconclusive". Standard operating procedures are being followed in disposing of the carcasses, an official said adding the area where the carcass was found has been sanitized and cordoned off. "We are going by the advice of the Wildlife Warden with regard to safety measures on campus," he said.

The Wildlife and Animal Husbandry authorities and Chennai Corporation are guiding the institute on protocols for such a notifiable disease. All the handlers including the Wildlife personnel in close proximity to the carcass or who have handled the carcass will be put on a course of antibiotics by our hospital for the next 10 days. IIT Madras will start vaccination against anthrax very soon.

A team of 9 people is monitoring the wildlife in the area for any symptoms round-the-clock for immediate intervention and an antibiotic dosage is also being administered. An official at the institute said they are analyzing all possibilities of how the disease could have entered the IIT Madras campus since inception they have not witnessed any such disease. Furthermore, the deer or other wildlife do not go out of campus, the official said.

It is being speculated that the dogs being carriers could be one of the reasons. "It is an emergency but not a panic situation. We have handled a pandemic so we are geared up and on full alert," said the official.

He asked the media not to create panic and requested it to only share verified facts on the issue. The official said that IIT Madras is working towards ensuring the safety of all students, faculty, staff, and residents on the campus," the official added.