A 56-year-old woman from Pune, who had co-morbidities, is suspected to have died from Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) at Sassoon General Hospital, a state-run facility, according to health officials in Maharashtra. This comes after the death of a 40-year-old man from Solapur on Sunday, also suspected to be linked to GBS.
The state health department reported that 127 suspected cases of GBS have been identified so far, including another potential fatality. Of these, nine cases are from outside Pune district. On Wednesday alone, 16 new cases were recorded.
Among the total cases, 72 have been confirmed as GBS, and 20 patients are currently on ventilator support.
Authorities have sent 121 stool samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for an enteric virus panel test. Results showed that 21 samples tested positive for Norovirus, while five samples contained Campylobacter bacteria. Additionally, 200 blood samples were examined at NIV, all testing negative for Zika, dengue, and chikungunya.
Furthermore, 144 water samples from different city areas were sent for chemical and biological analysis at the Public Health Laboratory. Contamination was detected in water from eight sources.
GBS is a rare neurological disorder that causes sudden numbness, muscle weakness, and in some cases, severe limb paralysis. It is often triggered by bacterial or viral infections that weaken the immune system. In this outbreak, doctors suspect that contaminated water may be the primary cause.