 "India deploys experts to control Guillain-Barré Syndrome outbreak in Maharashtra")
The Union Health Ministry has deployed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to Pune to assist state authorities in containing the rise in suspected and confirmed cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in the city.
The central team, consisting of seven experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Delhi, NIMHANS Bengaluru, the Regional Office of Health & Family Welfare, and the National Institute for Virology (NIV) Pune, has been sent to Maharashtra. Three experts from NIV, Pune, were already supporting local authorities.
The team will work closely with the state health departments and take stock of on-ground situation and recommend necessary public health interventions. The central team has been tasked with monitoring the situation and coordinating with the state.
In Guillain-Barré syndrome, the immune system attacks parts of the peripheral nervous system, affecting nerves responsible for muscle movement as well as those transmitting pain, temperature, and touch sensations, according to WHO. This can lead to muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the limbs, and difficulties with swallowing or breathing.
Though rare, the condition is more common in adults and males, but it can affect people of all ages.
Maharashtra reported its first suspected death linked to GBS in Solapur, while the number of cases of the immunological nerve disorder in Pune has crossed 100, health officials said on Monday.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe man had come to Pune, where he is suspected to have contracted the disease, and died in Solapur, an official said without giving more details.
”The total number of GBS cases in Pune on Sunday increased to 101, comprising 68 males and 33 females. Of these, 16 patients are on ventilator support. One suspected death has been reported in Solapur,” the state health department official said.
Meanwhile, the Rapid Response Team (RRT) and the Pune Municipal Corporation’s health department continued surveillance in the affected Sinhgad Road area in Pune.
”A seven-member high-level team of experts has been deployed in Maharashtra to assist the state in the monitoring and management of the increasing cases of GBS,” an official source said.
GBS is a rare condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness, with symptoms including severe weakness in the limbs and loose motions. Bacterial and viral infections generally lead to GBS as they weaken the immunity of patients, according to doctors.
While GBS is prevalent in both paediatric and young-age groups, it will not lead to an epidemic or pandemic, they said, adding that most patients recover fully with treatment.
The state health department has set up the RRT to investigate the sudden rise in this infection after 24 suspected cases were found initially.
With inputs from agencies
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