No GBS death, fresh cases since February 18 in cluster area

GBS has finally come under control with not a single fresh suspected case or death reported from affected cluster area in the past 15 days, as per PMC officials

The Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare nerve disorder outbreak in the Sinhagad Road area of Pune city, has finally come under control with not a single fresh suspected case or death being reported from the affected cluster area in the past fifteen days, as per the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials.

GBS has finally come under control with not a single fresh suspected case or death reported from affected cluster area in the past 15 days, as per PMC officials. (HT FILE)

The last suspected single case and one suspected death from the cluster was reported on February 18.

Pune district reported an unusual spike in GBS cases since January 9 this year, with cases being reported in clusters from areas like Nande Gaon, Nanded, Dhayari, Kirkitwadi, and Khadakwasla, amongst others.

The district till date reported 223 GBS cases (195 confirmed cases) and 11 suspected deaths (6 confirmed deaths). Out of these, 140 cases are from Pune city, of which over 70 %, i.e., 97 cases are from the cluster area and 43 are sporadic cases.

Timely intensified surveillance in the affected area and case-to-case mapping of suspected GBS patients and diarrhoea cases helped to bring the outbreak under control, said officials. However, despite the situation being under control, the surveillance in the affected area will continue, they said.

Dr Vaishali Jadhav, assistant health officer of PMC, said, a meeting was held with the private doctors in the entire city and requested them to report diarrhoea cases.

“Every case was monitored, including diarrhoea cases. The water samples from areas reporting diarrhoea and suspected GBS cases were tested. The PMC water department took adequate measures to make sure these areas get safe and portable water to drink in the affected areas. Awareness activities regarding food hygiene and hand hygiene were conducted in these areas,” she said.

According to data, the PMC reported 113 suspected cases of GBS in January, with 83 of these cases from the Sinhagad Road cluster area. The situation improved in February, with 26 GBS cases reported in the city and only 14 cases from the cluster area.

Dr Jadhav informed that follow-up of all GBS patients and diarrhoea cases is taken by the PMC. “We distributed free mediclor bottles in the affected areas. The door-to-door surveillance was conducted to identify suspected GBS and diarrhoea cases for early identification and treatment. The surveillance in the affected area will continue till further directions are issued,” she added.

As per the officials, out of these 223 GBS patients reported in the district, as many as 174 patients have been discharged. Currently, in the district there are 39 active GBS cases undergoing treatment in various hospitals, out of these 17 are from Pune city. Besides, 29 patients are admitted to ICU and 14 are on ventilator support.

Dr Nina Borade, health chief of PMC, “The few cases reported in other parts of the city are sporadic. These sporadic cases are known to be reported throughout the year. However, they cannot be linked to the cluster as there is no unexpected sudden spike of GBS cases in those areas.”

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.