Govt forms team amid GB syndrome spike

The number of cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome in Pune have risen to over a hundred, and on Sunday, Maharashtra reported the first death from the current outbreak of the rare neurological disorder.

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A 40-year-old man died in Solapur, state health department said on Monday. The deceased worked in Pune and had gone back to Solapur after reporting severe gastrointestinal distress.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome (pronounced Gee-luhn-Baa Syndrome) or GBS is a rare autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the peripheral nerves.

It leads to symptoms such as numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness that can, in many cases, also lead to muscular paralysis.

But it can be preceded by gastrointestinal infection as in the case of the deceased man.

According to Dr Sanjeev Thakur, dean of Solapur Government Medical College, the patient was on and off ventilator support since January 18, and the clinical post mortem, prima facie, suggests GBS. "We have sent samples of the patients, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to the National Institute of Virology, to understand the cause of death," he added.