Amid spurt in Guillain Barre Syndrome, central team deployed to Pune
Amid spurt in Guillain Barre Syndrome, central team deployed to Pune
A man suspected to have contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) has died in Maharashtra’s Solapur district, while the number of cases of the immunological nerve disorder in Pune has crossed 100, health officials said on Monday (January 27, 2025).
This is possibly the first death in Maharashtra suspected to have been caused by the GBS.
The 40-year-old man, native of Solapur, had come to Pune, where he is suspected to have contracted the disease, according to officials.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday (January 27, 2025) deployed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to Pune in Maharashtra to support the State health authorities in instituting public health interventions and management in view of a spurt in suspected and confirmed cases of Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) in Pune.
According to a statement, the team will comprise seven experts drawn from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Delhi, NIMHANS Bengaluru, the Regional Office of Health & Family Welfare and the National Institute for Virology (NIV), Pune. Three experts from NIV were already supporting the local authorities; the central team has now been expanded.
The central team will co-ordinate with the State Health Department. According to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials, the state’s Rapid Response Team has visited the affected areas and conducted surveys.
The survey included 255,578 houses — 157,611 in Pune Municipal Corporation, 37,719 in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, and 60,998 in rural Pune. It identified 146 patients with Acute Diarrhea and Dysentery (ADD).
Authorities from the Water Supply Department sent 183 water samples for testing, of which 182 were found to be potable and one was not. The Health Department also sent 21 water samples for testing, of which three were found to be potable and three were not. Reports on 15 samples are pending.
According to State Health Department officials, the National Institute of Virology in Pune tested 23 blood samples and 73 stool samples. All blood samples tested negative for Zika, Dengue, and Chikungunya, but 12 stool samples tested positive for Norovirus. Three stool samples tested positive for Campylobacter jejuni. Nine tested negative for the bacteria, reports on 39 samples are pending.
A total of 101 suspected GBS cases had been reported till Monday, primarily in areas such as Sinhagad Road, Khadakwasla, Kirkatwadi, Nandedgaon, and Nanded City.
State Health Minister Prakashrao Abitkar held a review meeting over the syndrome at Vidhan Bhavan in Pune with Divisional Commissioner Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar, Commissioner of Pune Municipal Corporation Rajendra Bhosle, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh, among others. Mr. Abikar said, “People should not panic as the recovery rate for GBS is high. As of now, 111 cases have appeared but 10 are reported as suspected cases.”
He also instructed officials to track patient history, update case numbers daily, and ask the Food and Drug Administration department to test bottled water samples and jar water sold in the market.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune neurological disorder in which a person’s immune system attacks their peripheral nerves, leading to muscle weakness that can progress to paralysis. It can develop over a few days or several weeks. People of any age can be affected, but it is more common in adults and males. The condition is rare, with an estimated incidence of 1/2 per 100,000 population.
Bacterial and viral infections generally lead to GBS as they weaken the immunity of patients, according to doctors.
While GBS is prevalent in both paediatric and young-age groups, it will not lead to an epidemic or pandemic, they said, adding that most patients recover fully with treatment.
The state health department has set up the RRT to investigate the sudden rise in this infection after 24 suspected cases were found initially.
