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GBS Deaths Rise To 2, Fresh Cases Include 9 From Outside Pune   

In West Bengal, PTI reports, three people, including a child, have died due to suspected GBS over the past few days. State health department yet to officially confirm the cause of death.

The Maharashtra Public Health Department reported on Wednesday that the fatality count in the ongoing Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) outbreak has risen to two, with 16 new suspected cases detected in Pune and other districts. The department did not immediately release information about the deceased patients.

As of Wednesday, the number of cases had risen to 127, up from 111 on Tuesday. The administration said effectively there was only one fresh case since Tuesday as the rest were from earlier and reported late.

Among these, 23 patients belong to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) area, 73 to newly incorporated villages within PMC limits, 13 from areas under the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), and nine from rural Pune. Another nine cases have been identified in districts outside Pune.

Around 20 patients are currently on ventilator support, the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme data from the Public Health Department shows.

As per a report in the Times Of India, the State Public Health Laboratory has detected bacterial contamination in eight water sources across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad (PCMC), offering a potential environmental link to the GBS outbreak. 

Out of 110 water samples tested, eight were found contaminated, including sources in GBS-affected areas, the report noted. These include the main water tank supplying the DSK Vishwa township, a public tap at Nisarg Society, and a well in Nanded Phata. In PCMC, contamination was identified in a public tap and borewell in Sahyog Nagar, the report said. The detected bacteria — E. coli, thermotolerant bacteria, and coliforms — indicate faecal contamination.

Such contamination with sewage water or faecal matter, as per the World Health Organization (WHO), suggests the possible presence of Campylobacter jejuni, a known GBS-linked pathogen, a senior health official reportedly told TOI. Health authorities in Pune say they have begun chlorination efforts to address the contamination.

Civic official Sachin Pangare, who oversees the water management system in the DSK Vishwa township, told The Times of India that the “PMC supplies all our water to a single tank, sourced from a well in Nanded Gaon and a dam near Barangani Mala Road”. 

“However, part of our water treatment facility is functional, and part of it isn’t. As a result, some societies in DSK Vishwa receive treated water, while others get raw water. We have been unable to fix the treatment facility because residents are not willing to pay for repairs, as they expect PMC to supply treated water after Dhayari was merged into PMC limits a few years ago,” he told the daily.

DSK Vishwa is where the first reported fatality of the current GBS outbreak — Pravin Vibhute — lived. His brother Prashant Vibhute told ABP Live that they had an RO water purifier installed in the house. Vibhute said the entire family avoided eating outside food and used RO-purified-water for drinking. 

Pangare added that while many flat owners had individual water purifiers at home, those staying on rent may not.

ALSO READ | Guillain-Barré Syndrome: Father-Of-Two Who Died Amid Pune Outbreak ‘Never Ate Out, Had RO Filter At Home’

Cases Reported From Outside Pune

On Wednesday, at least six suspected GBS cases emerged in Sangli district, with patients admitted to various private hospitals. “Six individuals are suspected to have GBS, but there is no cause for alarm as they are from different localities. If all cases had originated from a single location, it could be classified as an outbreak. However, we are examining their history, including any recent travel,” Sangli District Civil Surgeon Vikramsinh Kadam told The Hindu.

According to Dr Kadam, the six patients had been hospitalised over the past six days. Three cases were detected in Chintamani Nagar, Mardawadi, and Gudmudshingi areas of Sangli, two in rural Sangli, and one near the Kolhapur border.

The Sangli Municipal Corporation’s health department has been placed on high alert, with active surveillance underway. Over the past two days, officials have surveyed approximately 400 households in Chintamani Nagar, but found no additional cases.

In response to the increasing number of GBS cases and intervention from both central and state governments, the Pune Municipal Corporation has launched urgent measures to curb the spread of the disease.

ALSO READ | What’s Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Rare Condition Behind Pune Health Alert? Doctor Explains Symptoms, Precautions

GBS Deaths In Bengal Too?

In West Bengal, PTI reports, three people, including a child, have died due to suspected GBS over the past few days. While the state health department is yet to officially confirm the cause of death, at least one of the families has said that the death certificate cites suspected GBS.

All three persons died in government hospitals in Kolkata and Hooghly districts, PTI reported. A senior health department official said, “The situation in West Bengal is absolutely under control and there is nothing to panic about.”

The three deceased persons have been identified as Debkumar Sahu (10) of Jagaddal in North 24 Parganas district (bordering Kolkata), Aritra Manal (17) from Amdanga in the same district, and another 48-year-old man from Dhaniakhali village in Hooghly, sources told the news agency.

Family members of the three, PTI reported, claimed that they had died of suspected GBS. “The hospital told us that the condition of Debkumar kept on deteriorating while being treated. They did not tell us that the cause of his death was GB syndrome, but, in the death certificate, suspected GB syndrome was mentioned,” Debkumar’s uncle Govinda Sahu said.

Meanwhile, four more children suffering from suspected GBS are undergoing treatment at the BC Roy Hospital and Institute of Child Health, the sources told PTI. 

GBS is a rare condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness, with symptoms including severe weakness in the limbs and loose motions. Bacterial and viral infections generally lead to GBS, doctors say. 

The writer is a senior independent journalist.

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