Two succumb to Guillain – Barre Syndrome in Andhra in 10 days

Amaravati: A 45-year-old woman and a minor boy have succumbed to Guillain – Barre Syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune neurological disorder, in Andhra Pradesh in the past 10 days, said Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav on Monday.

The Health Minister noted that Kamalamma died at Government General Hospital (GGH) in Guntur on Sunday while the 10-year-old boy died in a private medical college in Srikakulam 10 days ago.

"There are 17 GBS cases now. This is a non-communicable disease with an incidence rate of up to two per one lakh population. This is not a sudden spurt of cases, this is normal," Yadav told PTI.

According to Yadav, a total of 267 cases of this disease were reported in 2024 with 141 cases in the first half of the year and 126 in the second half.

Noting that 25 cases show up per month on an average, the minister highlighted that most of them can be handled with regular treatment while some serious cases would require immunoglobulin injections and admission in ICU.

GBS occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nerves, leading to muscle weakness, numbness, and tingling.