Mumbai has reported its first case of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) after a 64-year-old woman was diagnosed with the rare nerve disorder, civic officials confirmed on Friday. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner and state-appointed administrator Bhushan Gagrani told news agency PTI that the patient is currently undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a civic-run hospital.
According to BMC officials, the woman, a resident of Andheri East, was hospitalised with a history of fever and diarrhoea, which was followed by ascending paralysis. Further details about the patient are awaited.
GBS is a rare condition in which a person’s immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, leading to muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the limbs, and difficulties in swallowing or breathing. In severe cases, it can result in near-total paralysis. While the disorder is more common in adults and males, it can affect people of all ages.
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Mumbai Reports First GBS Case In 64-Year-Old Woman, Pune’s Suspected Tally Rises To 6
Meanwhile, the number of suspected GBS deaths in Maharashtra’s Pune district has risen to six after a 63-year-old man succumbed to the condition, a health official said, as per PTI.
The deceased was admitted to a hospital in the Sinhgad Road area after experiencing fever, loose motions, and weakness in the lower limbs. He was later diagnosed with GBS. His condition deteriorated on Wednesday, and he died of acute ischemic stroke, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) health official stated.
Of the six deaths, five are suspected to be due to GBS, while one has been confirmed as a fatality from the rare disorder, the official added, according to PTI.
With the detection of three new cases, the number of suspected GBS cases in Pune has risen to 173, as per a Maharashtra health department release. Of these, 140 have been diagnosed with the condition.
The breakdown of cases in Pune district is as follows: 34 from Pune Municipal Corporation limits, 87 from newly added villages in the PMC area, 22 from Pimpri Chinchwad civic limits, 22 from rural parts of the district, and eight from other districts.
The health department release further stated that of the 173 suspected cases, 72 patients have been discharged, 55 are in ICU, and 21 are on ventilator support.
A tap water sample from a housing society near Nanded village, where the highest number of GBS cases have been reported, has tested positive for Campylobacter jejuni, a common bacterial pathogen that causes gastroenteritis and can trigger GBS, PTI reported an official as saying.
A senior health official from the Rapid Response Team (RRT), set up to investigate the outbreak within a 5-kilometre radius of Nanded village in the Sinhgad Road area, confirmed the development.
A PMC official stated that the National Institute of Virology (NIV) has confirmed that the GBS outbreak in Nanded and adjoining areas was caused by water contamination due to the presence of Campylobacter jejuni.
Following this, 11 private reverse osmosis (RO) plants in Nanded and surrounding areas have been sealed after tests found their water unfit for consumption. With this, the total number of RO plants sealed by the civic body’s water supply department has reached 30.
Nandkishor Jagtap, head of PMC’s water department, said that standard operating procedures (SOPs) will soon be issued to private RO plants, water tanker operators, and borewell owners supplying drinking water. They will be required to use bleaching solutions to ensure the supply of clean and uncontaminated water.
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