The Health Ministry has sent a team to Pune where there has been a recent outbreak of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder triggered by viral and bacterial infection, affecting 73 people in and around the city’s Sinhagad area.
Although the Neurological Society of Pune has urged people not to panic and reassured them that GBS is a ‘treatable condition,’ the seven-member Central team is expected to help local health authorities contain the spread of infection. Health authorities suspect a link to ‘Campylobacter jejuni’ bacteria, a curve-shaped bacteria that cause diarrhoea. It is often transmitted through contaminated food or water. “Three members have already reached Pune and are working with local teams. Three other members will reach Maharashtra on January 28 and another on January 29. The teams are currently testing samples to confirm the cause of the outbreak and to contain its spread,” said an official.
Symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, nausea, or vomiting. “In some patients, an immune response to the bacteria mistakenly targets nerves, causing GBS within one to three weeks. Approximately one in 1,000 cases of C. jejuni infection leads to GBS, making it a rare but significant complication. It is treatable, not contagious, and usually affects adults over 50,” says Pune-based neurologist Dr Sudhir Kothari.
What is GBS?
It is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder, brought on by the body’s immune response to bacteria or viruses, and is seen in patients immediately after a bout of flu infection. Usually, the immune system fights back any alien bacteria or virus when they attack your body but in some people, the same malfunction mistakenly attacks and damages the nervous system with symptoms manifesting mostly in the peripheral nerves.