Mumbai, Feb 8 The number of suspected GBS patients on Friday rose to 180 in Maharashtra, including the first such case involving a 64-year-old woman diagnosed with the rare nerve disorder from Mumbai.
A woman, who resides in the Andheri East area, was hospitalised with a history of fever and diarrhoea that was followed by ascending paralysis. Four new suspected GBS cases were reported in the state on Friday.
Of the 180 patients, 146 were diagnosed with GBS.
A total of six deaths have occurred till now, of which one was confirmed as GBS and five suspected deaths.
According to the State Public Health Department, of the 180 patients, 35 are from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), 88 are from newly added villages in the PMC area, 25 from Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, 24 from Pune Rural, and eight from other districts.
Of these patients, 79 have been discharged till now, 58 are in ICU and 22 are on ventilators.
Maharashtra Public Health Minister Prakash Abitkar has appealed to the citizens not to panic but to take adequate care to keep water quality good and eat fresh and clean food.
Abitkar said that Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda, who met the state government representatives on Monday, asked to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure for handling the GBS outbreak.
The Union Minister has urged collaboration among the State Health, Urban Development, and other Departments to effectively monitor and implement various measures aimed at controlling the outbreak.
He also directed the state government to provide free treatment to patients according to the guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry.
Abitkar said that suspected GBS patients are treated free in the hospitals run by the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporations. The treatment is also covered under the state health insurance scheme, Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana.
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