Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) has seen a surge in Pune, with cases increasing from 24 to 59. Among these, 12 patients are currently on ventilators. The distribution includes 33 cases from Pune Rural, 11 from Pune Municipal Corporation, 12 from Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, and three from other districts. The affected people comprise 38 men and 21 women. The situation was revealed after the civic body and health department sought data from private hospitals.
The health department is currently gathering water and food samples, along with conducting a patient survey on Sinhagad Road, to determine the cause of the GBS outbreak. "Private doctors should also report such cases to the government health system," stated the Joint Director of the Health Department.
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The highest number of GBS cases have been reported from Dhanori, Nanded City, and Kirkatwadi along Sinhagad Road. Samples from eight patients have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for testing, although their reports are still awaited. In response to the rising GBS cases in Pune, Kamlapurkar conducted a virtual meeting with health officials on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Dr. K.K. Sharma, Head of the Paediatric Department at Sassoon Hospital; Dr. Aarti Kinikar, Head of the Microbiology Department at Sassoon; Dr. Rajesh Karkare, Head of Health at BMC; Nina Borade, and other health officials.
Dr. Nina Borade stated that the majority of GBS patients are from Sinhagad Road, with some having a history of vomiting and diarrhea after consuming contaminated water. These patients later developed GBS symptoms. The affected individuals are primarily from areas along the Mutha River.