Rice paddies in the area provide ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes

Doctors and nurses have joined those fleeing the city after some medical personnel died treating patients.

Specialists fly in

Specialists from India's leading institutes have been flown to Siliguri.

Blood samples have also been sent to laboratories in the United States.

Experts say Siliguri would be prone to an outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis, given the many rice paddies in the area which would allow mosquitoes to hatch freely.

There are also large pig farms close to residential areas, which would aid the spread of the virus.

Many of the victims have been children, another common hallmark of the disease.

Mosquitoes

Japanese Encephalitis causes severe swelling in the brain and is passed from animals to humans by mosquito bites.

It is prevalent in agricultural areas throughout south and east Asia, killing about 10,000 people each year.

But doctors in Siliguri say they still cannot be certain about the identity of the latest outbreak.