PUNE: Hospitals in Pune reported 28 more patients of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) in surveillance data updated till Sunday, taking the city’s caseload to 101 in 18 days since what is suspected to be the first infection within the cluster. Tests revealed the Campylobacter jejuni bacteria in some biological samples.
Sixteen of the patients are currently on ventilator support. Around 19 of those hospitalised with symptoms of this rare but treatable condition are below nine, while the 50-80 age group accounts for 23 cases.
Health department officials said 25,578 homes had been surveyed till Sunday as part of a surveillance exercise meant to find more patients within the community and pinpoint the trigger for the surge in GBS cases, which otherwise don’t exceed more than two a month.
C. Jejuni causes about a third of all GBS cases worldwide and is also responsible for the most severe infections.
Authorities are sampling Pune’s water, especially in areas that are reporting cases. Test results released Saturday showed that a well near Khadakwasla Dam, Pune’s main water reservoir, had high levels of the bacterium E. coli. But officials said it was unclear if the well was being used at all.
Residents have been advised to boil water and heat their food before consumption. GBS occurs when the body’s immune system, while reacting to a bacterial or viral infection, mistakenly attacks the nerves that carry brain signals to parts of the body, leading to weakness, paralysis or other symptoms.
