Anna University has launched medical screening, sanitation and cleaning measures at its Guindy campus after the death of a final-year student from scrub typhus and reports of fever among several hostel residents.
Harish Kumar, a final-year Mechanical Engineering student staying in one of the university hostels, died at Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital. According to the Health Department, the cause of death was scrub typhus and its complications. Scrub typhus is a bacterial infection transmitted through the bite of infected mites.
The health response follows reports that several students living in the university hostels have developed fever. One student diagnosed with dengue is receiving treatment at Government Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital, according to the report.
The Greater Chennai Corporation and Anna University staff jointly carried out an intensive cleaning and sanitation drive at the Guindy campus on Saturday. A medical camp was also organised to screen students staying in the hostels.
The scale of the campus adds to the operational challenge. Around 4,900 students live in 22 hostels at the Anna University Guindy campus. The residential facilities include 15 hostels for male students and seven hostels for female students, making hostel-based screening a central part of the immediate response.
The reported cases also bring attention to the role of campus sanitation and coordinated public-health action in large residential institutions. The response involves the university administration, the civic body and state-run hospitals, with students requiring screening or treatment being directed to medical facilities.
The university’s health measures are not limited to the main Guindy campus. Medical camps are scheduled for Monday at the institution’s constituent colleges, including the Madras Institute of Technology in Chromepet and the Alagappa College of Technology in Guindy.
The available information does not establish how many students have been diagnosed with scrub typhus, dengue or other illnesses. It also does not specify whether additional cases have been confirmed by the Health Department. The scheduled camps and ongoing sanitation work will determine the immediate extent of screening across the university’s residential and academic facilities.
