The first death due to the Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) virus was reported in Solapur, Maharashtra amid the outbreak on Monday.
A 40-year-old man from Dhayari, Pune, succumbed to the syndrome while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Solapur. The deceased was initially diagnosed in Pune but was shifted for specialised care.Till now, 101 cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) have been reported out of which 81 patients are from Pune MC, 14 from Pimpri Chinchwad MC and 6 are from other districts. Pune has been the centre of the outbreak.
Every day, 28 new cases of GBS are recorded. Among the affected, 16 patients are critically ill and require ventilator support.
In the wake of the outbreak, a rapid response team was formed by the Maharashtra government. Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a rare auto-immune disorder which leaves patients in a paralysis-type situation.
The public health department of the state, in a communication, said that a state-level rapid response team had visited the affected area. Authorities have informed the public that Guillain-Barré Syndrome is alarming, but it cannot lead to an epidemic or a pandemic.The state department said that the rural district authorities and Pune Municipal Corporation have been given instructions to increase surveillance activities.
A team has also been sent by the Union Health Ministry to Pune to assess the situation after the GBS outbreak.
The officials have collected water samples from various parts of Pune and sent them to the public health laboratory for biological and chemical analysis as a precautionary measure.
The state government have asked private medical practitioners to notify authorities about every GBS patient they treat. They are also thinking of increasing health promotion activities.
Health officials have so far surveyed over 25,578 houses in the affected areas. The surveys are being carried out by the Maharashtra State Health Department’s Rapid Response Team (RRT) in collaboration with the Pune Municipal Corporation and local health authorities.
Speaking to News18.com, Maharashtra Health Minister Prakashrao Abitkar said that he is on his way to Pune and that there is no need to panic about GBS. He said that GBS is an existing disease and is not communicable. He added that all measures are being taken to contain the surge.
