GBS Outbreak: Mumbai Reports First Guillain-Barre Syndrome Case, 64-Year-Old Woman Infected

Mumbai: Mumbai reported its first case of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) on Friday as a 64-year-old woman was diagnosed with the rare nerve disorder, an official statement said on Friday.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s commissioner, Bhushan Gagrani, said that the 64-year-old female GBS patient was currently undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a civic-run hospital.

BMC officials said the woman, who resides in the Andheri East area of the city, was hospitalized with a history of fever and diarrhea that was followed by ascending paralysis.

What is Guillain-Barre Syndrome?

GBS is a rare condition in which a person's immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, resulting in muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the legs and/or arms, as well as problems swallowing or breathing.

In GBS, severe cases can result in near-total paralysis. The prevalence of this disorder is more common among adults and in males, though people of all ages can be affected.

The number of suspected GBS deaths in Maharashtra's Pune district stood at six, while the count of suspected cases there was 173. 

Meanwhile, the Pune civic body has sealed 19 private RO plants in the Nanded village area, the epicentre of the GBS outbreak, after tests confirmed that the water from these facilities was unfit for drinking.

During the day, four fresh cases of suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare nerve disorder, were reported in Pune district, taking the overall tally in Maharashtra to 170, they said.

The now-sealed privately owned reverse-osmosis (RO) plants, located in the Dhayari-Nanded area, supplied bottled water to a large number of people in the vicinity.

Following the crackdown, the water supply department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) announced plans to formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent the distribution of contaminated water in the area.

(With inputs from PTI)