The number of cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder, crossed the 100 mark in Pune on Sunday. One suspected GBS death was also reported from Solapur. Initial unconfirmed reports hinted at the possibility of the victim having contracted the infection in Pune and later travelled to Solapur.
Besides the Solapur case, the Maharashtra health department also identified another 18 persons suspected of GBS in PunePimpri Chinchwad, Pune rural and a few from neighbouring districts. Of the 101 patients undergoing treatment at various hospitals, 16 are on ventilator support. While 68 patients are male, 33 are women.
A central team of health officials is expected to visit Pune on Monday to monitor the situation.
An analysis by the state health department since the beginning shows that of the 101 patients, 19 are below 9 years, 15 are in the 10-19 age group, 20 in the 20-29 age group, 13 in the 30-39 age group, 12 in the 40-49 age group, 13 in the 50-59 age group, 8 in the 60-69 age group, and one in the 70-80 age group.
As many as 81 patients are from areas coming under the Pune Municipal Corporation, 14 from areas under the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, and the remaining 6 from other districts.
Cases came to light when hospitals began reporting GBS patients mainly from Sinhagad Road, Khadakwasla, Dhayari, Kirkat-wadi, and surrounding areas.
Suspecting contamination, water samples from different parts of Pune have been sent for chemical and biological analysis. In the initial days of the outbreak, 23 blood samples were also collected and sent to the ICMR-National Institute of Virology. These blood samples tested negative for dengue, zikaand chikungunya. However, of the 11 stool samples of the GBS patients, nine tested positive for the norovirus infection. 3 of these samples also tested positive for Campylobacter Jejuni bacterial infection.
