Man diagnosed with GBS dies in Pune; death toll rises to three

According to health officials, the suspected cases of the rare nerve disorder GBS have risen to 130 in the State

Pune: A 36-year-old man diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare nerve disorder, died in a civic-run hospital in Maharashtra’s Pune district, taking the number of suspected GBS fatalities to three in the state, officials said on Friday.

The patient, who worked as a driver with a cab service, was admitted to the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) in Pimpri Chinchwad on January 21, they said.

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“An expert committee at YCMH conducted an investigation and concluded that the cause of the death was trauma to the respiratory system due to pneumonia, leading to severe difficulty in breathing,” the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation said in a release.

The committee noted that the patient had also been diagnosed with GBS, with a “nerve conduction test” done on him on January 22. The immediate cause of the death was identified as severe “acute respiratory distress syndrome” (ARDS), it said.

With the latest loss of life, the number of suspected GBS deaths in Maharashtra has reached three. According to health officials, the suspected cases of the rare nerve disorder have risen to 130 in the State.

On Wednesday, a 56-year-old woman was suspected to have died of GBS in Pune. A 40-year-old man from Solapur died of the suspected nerve disorder on January 26.

GBS is a rare condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness, with symptoms including severe weakness in the limbs.

Most of the cases in the State are from Pune and surrounding areas. These infections, including the latest case, are likely linked to contaminated water sources. Campylobacter jejuni, a bacteria found in contaminated food and water, is believed to be the reason for the outbreak.