CHINA: University sackings after dissection illness

In an unusual move, the dean of a veterinary school and a Communist Party secretary have been sacked from their posts at Northeast Agricultural University after students were infected by a serious disease from dissecting goats in a laboratory.

Earlier this year 27 students and a teacher at the university in Heilongjiang province became infected with brucellosis, an infectious disease that can lead to incapacitation and permanent damage of the central nervous system.

According to China Youth Daily, they had dissected four goats in December 2010 that had not been quarantined after being bought from a local farm.

Zheng Shi-min, dean of the veterinary school, and Wei Ping, the party secretary, were sacked in June. Compensation has also been offered to the affected students after parents reacted angrily.

Sackings of high-level university officials are rare in China, and in this case are believed to have been ordered by higher authorities, fearing national fallout similar to the uproars over SARS and H1N1 flu in recent years, when local authorities were said to have covered up the true prevalence of the diseases.

It is also unusual in that it accepts university responsibility and recognises the importance of ensuring safety in university laboratories.

Sources said that officials have become nervous in recent months over incidents likely to spark off public protests, such as a recent one on 14 August in the north-eastern city of Dalian over a toxic chemical factory which, unusually, forced closure of the factory.

In many cities in China, students and parents have become bolder about protesting against pollution, contamination and health issues.

At a rare news conference last week Feng Xiao, Vice-president of Northeast Agricultural University, attempted to dissipate tension by publicly apologising to students and their parents and saying each student had been offered compensation of 61,000 yuan (US$9,550).

However, only 17 students had signed the compensation agreement by 5 September, with other students reportedly demanding four times the sum offered. Students had also asked the university to arrange jobs for them in government-affiliated institutions, regarded as secure and well-paying, a staff member was reported as saying.

Lawyers have suggested that the university could be responsible for paying the students' lifelong living expenses if they are disabled and lose the ability to work.

Official reports quoted one of the students as suffering from joint pain, fatigue, sweating and high fever. "It was all due to the university's negligence," the student said. "The lab's equipment was in disarray and the whole environment was unsanitary, where we conducted the anatomy [class]."

China Youth Daily, in an interview with an infected student, reported that he could not walk due to severe pain and weakness and that he feared for his future.