The Maharashtra Health Department confirmed on Monday that 192 suspected cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) have been identified across the state, with 167 of them confirmed as GBS. The department also reported seven deaths, one of which has been confirmed as caused by GBS, while six remain under investigation.
The cases are spread across various regions, including 39 from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), 91 from newly added villages in the PMC area, 29 from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), 25 from Pune Rural, and 8 from other districts.
Currently, 48 patients are in Intensive Care Units (ICU), with 21 requiring ventilator support. Meanwhile, 91 patients have been successfully discharged after receiving treatment.
In response to the outbreak, state health authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have ramped up surveillance in the affected areas. On February 6, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) sealed 30 private water supply plants in Nanded village, Dhayari, and surrounding areas on Sinhgad Road, identified as the epicenter of the outbreak. These actions followed the discovery of unsafe water samples from some plants, which were found to be contaminated with Escherichia coli bacteria. Some of the plants were operating without proper permits, and others failed to use disinfectants and chlorine to prevent contamination.
Earlier, on February 3, a high-level meeting led by the Union Health Minister was held with Maharashtra’s key health officials to review the state’s public health measures, including the testing and treatment of GBS patients.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a rare autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system, leading to symptoms such as muscle weakness and, in severe cases, paralysis.