Maharashtra to issue new SOP to tackle GBS

PMC has reported an unusual spike in GBS cases in clusters like Nandegaon, Nanded, Dhayari, Kirkitwadi, and Khadakwasla since January 9

With rise in rare nerve disorder Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) cases in Pune, the Maharashtra Public Health Department has announced that it will soon release new standard operating procedure (SOP) to monitor drinking water and water sources across the state.

The outbreak was first detected on January 13, 2025, in Sinhagad Road area. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) reported 141 GBS (confirmed and suspected) cases and nine suspected deaths between January 9 and March 2. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

“We are regularly checking water quality, and the new SOP will strengthen the monitoring system to prevent similar health crises in future,” said Prakash Abitkar, health minister, on Thursday.

PMC has reported an unusual spike in GBS cases in clusters like Nandegaon, Nanded, Dhayari, Kirkitwadi, and Khadakwasla since January 9. The outbreak was first detected on January 13, 2025, in Sinhagad Road area. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) reported 141 GBS (confirmed and suspected) cases and nine suspected deaths between January 9 and March 2.

“Contaminated water is the root cause of many diseases. Unfortunately, serious action is often taken only after something goes wrong. After the GBS outbreak, we have begun closely examining daily reports on water contamination from rural and urban parts of the state, which are submitted by the Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Prevention Department,” he said.

During the outbreak, PMC suspected contaminated drinking water and food as main sources of the infection and carried out preventive measures and surveillance to contain the spread. However, experts at the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) in first week of February 2025 confirmed bacterial contamination of Campylobacter jejuni in water samples collected from Kirkitwadi area. Consumption of water and food contaminated with C. Jejuni can cause bacterial infection and may trigger acute autoimmune sequelae including GBS, a rare neurological disorder.

To address the issue of unsafe drinking water in rural areas, the government will soon launch an incentive-based scheme named ‘Mukhyamantri Gram Swasthya Yojana” where gram panchayats and healthcare workers will work together to ensure safe and clean water supply in villages.

“Stakeholders will be part of the initiative, and local self-governing bodies that perform well will be rewarded under the scheme,” said Abitkar.

GBS is a treatable neurological condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves, leading to weakness in the upper and lower limbs, neck, face, and eyes, tingling or numbness, and, in severe cases, difficulty walking, swallowing, or breathing.