Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS).
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Pune: The number of suspected cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) in Pune and some other districts of Maharashtra has risen to 130 with the addition of three more patients of the rare nerve disorder, health department officials said on Thursday.
According to the officials, no new case was reported on Thursday and these three infections were from previous days.
Two patients -- a 56-year-old woman from Pune and a man from Solapur district -- have died due to suspected GBS in the state so far.
"A total of 130 suspected patients and two suspected deaths linked to GBS have been recorded until now. Of these, 73 are diagnosed as confirmed GBS cases. Twenty-five patients are from Pune Municipal Corporation areas, 74 from newly-added villages under PMC, 13 from Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation areas, nine from Pune rural and nine from other districts," they said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who on Thursday presided over a District Planning Committee meeting in Pune, instructed civic as well as district health officials to take stringent action against hospitals which overcharge GBS patients.
Pawar, who is also the Pune district guardian minister, instructed the officials to ensure adequate supply of drugs for GBS, a rare condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness, with symptoms including severe weakness in the limbs.
The GBS outbreak in Pune and surrounding areas is likely linked to contaminated water sources. Campylobacter jejuni, a bacteria found in contaminated food and water, is believed to be the reason for the outbreak.