Tally of GBS fatalities in Pune climbs to 6 after death of 63-year-old man

The number of suspected Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) deaths in Maharashtra's Pune district has risen to six after a 63-year-old man died, a health official has said.

The man was admitted to a hospital in the Sinhgad Road area after he complained of fever, loose motions and weakness in the lower limb and was diagnosed with GBS, the official said on Thursday.

"His condition deteriorated on Wednesday and he died of acute ischemic stroke," the Pune Municipal Corporation health official said.

He added that of the six deaths, five are suspected GBS deaths, while one is a confirmed fatality from the rare nerve disorder.

With the detection of three new cases, the number of suspected GBS cases in Pune rose to 173, a Maharashtra health department release said.

"Of these, 140 have been diagnosed with GBS. Of the 173, a total of 34 patients are from Pune Municipal Corporation limits, 87 from newly added villages in PMC area, 22 from Pimpri Chinchwad civic limits, 22 from rural parts of the district, and eight from other districts," the release said.

Of the 173, the release added, 72 have been discharged, 55 are in ICU and 21 are on ventilator support.

An official said a tap water sample from a housing society in the vicinity of Nanded village, where the highest number of GBS cases have been reported, has tested positive for campylobacter jejuni.

It is a common bacterial pathogen that causes gastroenteritis and can trigger GBS, he added.

A senior health official from the Rapid Response Team (RRT) set up to investigate the GBS outbreak within a 5-kilometre radius of Nanded village in Sinhgad Road area confirmed the development.

A PMC official said the National Institute of Virology (NIV) has confirmed the GBS outbreak in Nanded and its adjoining areas was caused by water contamination, specifically due to the presence of waterborne campylobacter jejuni.

The PMC said 11 private reverse osmosis (RO) plants in Nanded and adjoining areas have been sealed after test reports indicated water from these was unfit for consumption. With this, the total number of RO plants sealed by the civic body's water supply department has reached 30.

"Standard operating procedures (SOPs) will soon be issued to private RO plants, water tanker operators and owners of borewells supplying drinking water. They will be required to use bleaching solutions to ensure the supply of clean and uncontaminated water," said Nandkishor Jagtap, head of PMC's water department.

GBS is a rare condition in which a person's immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, resulting in muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the legs and/or arms, as well as problems swallowing or breathing.

Severe cases can result in near-total paralysis. GBS is more common in adults and in males, though people of all ages can be affected.