PUNE/ NAGPUR: A 34-year-old resident of Pune’s Wagholi and an 8-year-old boy in Nagpur were the latest casualties of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Maharashtra, health department data showed on Monday. The state has had at least 17 GBS-linked deaths in the last few weeks.
The Pune patient died on Saturday at Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) while the Nagpur boy passed away at the city’s Government Medical College and Hospital on Feb 10. In Pune, nine people have died since a GBS outbreak broke on Jan 5.
Doctors said the Wagholi resident was brought to SGH from a private hospital. “He was referred to us on Feb 3, around 5pm,” said dean of SGH, Dr Eknath Pawar.
A senior SGH official said the patient had loose motions for three days, starting on Jan 23. The official said: “Days later, he began experiencing a tingling in the limbs and loss of power in both legs, which progressed to the upper limbs within six hours. This loss of power in all limbs progressed rapidly over the next three days and by Feb 8, he had lost strength in the neck, respiratory and facial muscles. He had trouble swallowing too.”
The hospital official added the patient required intubation and mechanical ventilation, given the paralysis in respiratory and neck muscles. “His condition kept deteriorating. He also developed severe autonomic imbalance. We administered five doses of intravenous immunoglobulin and supportive antibiotics. The first IVIG dose was given 24 hours after admission. Unfortunately, we couldn’t save him. He never regained muscle power in his legs, arms, chest or face,” the official said.
Dr Pawar confirmed the death occurred on Saturday, Feb 15. A total of 20 GBS patients are on ventilator support in Pune.
In Nagpur, the 8-year-old boy, was admitted on Jan 16 and he succumbed on Feb 10. At the time of death, his GBS diagnosis was not confirmed. At GMCH, several patients are still battling GBS. Among them is a seven-year-old girl who is on mechanical ventilation and continues to be in a critical condition.
Union junior minister for AYUSH, Prataprao Jadhav, Monday hinted at the possibility of travel restrictions in affected areas if the disease is found to be contagious. “If the disease is spreading from one region to another, imposing travel restrictions may become necessary. Discussions between the central and state health departments are ongoing to address the situation,” Jadhav told reporters in Buldhana.
But advisories from WHO and US CDC have said that GBS is not contagious or hereditary. Often, a GBS cluster is linked to another outbreak. In Pune for example, GBS began to show up in clusters after mass Campylobacter infections. It’s an autoimmune condition that’s triggered when the body’s immune system attacks nerves that carry brain signals to parts of the body.
On Jan 25, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said there was no need to panic as GBS was not a communicable disease.
“The state govt has reviewed the situation. Health minister Prakash Abitkar, health secretary and I met to discuss GBS cases. I have told the civil surgeon, Pune district collector, and other officials to keep a close watch on the situation. People should not panic,” Pawar had said.
