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Health department begins surveillance in Purandar after two suspected GBS cases
One patient is currently undergoing treatment at Bharati Hospital, while the other, who was admitted to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, was discharged on Wednesday, district health officials said
The public health department has launched surveillance in Nira village in Purandar tehsil, around 70 km from Pune, after two suspected cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) were reported, officials said on Wednesday.
One patient is currently undergoing treatment at Bharati Hospital, while the other, who was admitted to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, was discharged on Wednesday, district health officials said.
Pune district health officer Ramchandra Hankare said samples from the suspected patients will be sent to the ICMR–National Institute of Virology (NIV) for confirmation. Blood, stool, urine, cerebrospinal fluid and throat swab samples (if respiratory symptoms are present) will also be tested.
“We have started surveillance in the village and collected samples for testing,” Hankare said.
The first patient, a 52-year-old man, developed symptoms around February 26, initially experiencing pain in his left hand. He first visited a private clinic, where he was treated for two days before being admitted to a private hospital. He was later referred to Bharati Hospital, where he is currently stable.
Officials said he had no recent travel history but had visited a nearby village before the onset of symptoms.
The second patient, a 47-year-old woman from Nira village, developed back pain, chest discomfort and weakness on February 24. She initially sought treatment at a private hospital and was discharged. As her condition did not improve, she was referred to another private hospital in Baramati on February 25 and later shifted to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune. She was discharged on March 4 after treatment.
Officials said the woman had travelled to Baramati before the onset of symptoms. Both patients reportedly consumed drinking water from water jars regularly.
As a precaution, health teams have begun door-to-door surveys in Nira village. So far, eight teams have covered around 600 houses, reaching approximately 12,511 people across 2,307 households, said Dr Naresh Bagul, medical officer at Nira Primary Health Centre (PHC).
During the survey, residents are being screened for symptoms such as diarrhoea, tingling sensations in the limbs, weakness and other neurological complaints that may be linked to GBS. Health authorities have also collected 15 water samples from wells, taps, tankers, private RO systems and the Gram Panchayat water supply to rule out possible contamination, said Dr Vikram Kale, taluka health officer, Purandar.
Officials said medical teams from the Nira PHC are closely monitoring the situation. Surveillance and sample collection began after the cases were reported to the health department two days ago.
Authorities said there is no need for panic, adding that surveillance will continue until laboratory reports confirm whether the cases are linked to GBS. Sporadic cases of GBS are known to occur from time to time, officials said.
