<p>Thane: The Zilla Parishad in Maharashtra’s Thane district has launched a water disinfection drive in rural areas amid a Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) outbreak in Pune and other parts of the state, an official said on Thursday.</p>.<p>Water contamination is said to be the primary reason behind a spike in GBS cases in the Pune district.</p>.<p>As part of the Thane Zilla Parishad’s campaign, the authorities will inspect over 5,430 water sources at various places, including public places, gram panchayat offices, schools, Anganwadi centres and health centres, said an official release.</p>.<p>Trained women volunteers have been handed biological field testing kits – FTK-H2S vials – to examine water quality, it said, adding that the Zilla Parishad has also set a goal to provide at least 55 litres of clean water per person a day to every rural family through tap connections under the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’.</p>.<p>While the total number of suspected and confirmed GBS cases in the state has risen to over 200, Pune has reported most of them. At least eight persons have succumbed to suspected GBS infection in Pune, according to officials.</p>.<p>A 53-year-old man died of GBS, a rare nerve disorder, at a hospital in Mumbai, the first fatality in the megapolis, officials said on Wednesday.</p>.<p>GBS is a rare condition in which a person's immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, resulting in muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the legs and/or arms, as well as problems swallowing or breathing. PTI COR NR</p>
<p>Thane: The Zilla Parishad in Maharashtra’s Thane district has launched a water disinfection drive in rural areas amid a Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) outbreak in Pune and other parts of the state, an official said on Thursday.</p>.<p>Water contamination is said to be the primary reason behind a spike in GBS cases in the Pune district.</p>.<p>As part of the Thane Zilla Parishad’s campaign, the authorities will inspect over 5,430 water sources at various places, including public places, gram panchayat offices, schools, Anganwadi centres and health centres, said an official release.</p>.<p>Trained women volunteers have been handed biological field testing kits – FTK-H2S vials – to examine water quality, it said, adding that the Zilla Parishad has also set a goal to provide at least 55 litres of clean water per person a day to every rural family through tap connections under the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’.</p>.<p>While the total number of suspected and confirmed GBS cases in the state has risen to over 200, Pune has reported most of them. At least eight persons have succumbed to suspected GBS infection in Pune, according to officials.</p>.<p>A 53-year-old man died of GBS, a rare nerve disorder, at a hospital in Mumbai, the first fatality in the megapolis, officials said on Wednesday.</p>.<p>GBS is a rare condition in which a person's immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, resulting in muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the legs and/or arms, as well as problems swallowing or breathing. PTI COR NR</p>