Suspected GBS deaths in Maharashtra rises to 4; E.coli found in water sample

Thirty-six-year-old man died due to trauma to respiratory system due to pneumonia at Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital

Pune: The number of suspected deaths in Maharashtra due to Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare nerve disorder, rose to four on Friday, while the tally of cases recorded in the State so far stood at 140, health officials said.

A 36-year-old man died due to “trauma to the respiratory system due to pneumonia” at Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital in the neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation limits on Thursday.

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The fourth suspected victim was a 60-year-old man from Dhayari area off Sinhgad Road here who died on Friday. The man was admitted to the hospital on January 27 following loose motions and weakness in the lower limbs. He died due to cardiac arrest, according to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) health department.

According to State health officials, of 140 suspected patients, 98 were diagnosed as confirmed GBS cases. “A total of 26 patients are from Pune city, 78 from newly added villages in the PMC area, 15 from Pimpri Chinchwad, 10 from Pune Rural and 11 are from other districts,” said the official release.

No fresh case was reported on Friday. Most of the cases recorded in the State are from Pune and surrounding areas.

A total of 160 water samples from different parts of Pune city have been sent for chemical and biological analysis to the Public Health Laboratory, and samples from eight water sources were found contaminated. An official said Escherichia coli or E-Coli bacteria was found in one of the samples obtained from some private borewells located in Sinhgad Road area.

E.coli in water is a sign of faecal or animal waste contamination and the prevalence of bacteria can lead to GBS infection, he said.

Following the increase in GBS cases in Nanded, Kirkatwadi, Dhayari and other localities on Sinhgad Road, the Pune Municipal Corporation has been collecting water samples from borewells and wells for investigations.