Centre, Maha govt start surveys in Pune as Guillain-Barré Syndrome cases surge

New Delhi: The Maharashtra state government and Union ministry of health and family welfare have together started household surveys in Pune, which is seeing a surge in Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) cases across the city.

As part of the initiative, water, sewage and food samples are being picked up to find the root cause of the rare neurological condition, which remains unknown because epidemiologists are unable to figure out the etiological or causatory link for GBS, state government officials aware of the matter said.

“The disease has spread across Pune only, not in entire Maharastra. The state government is taking all the remedial measures to contain the spread of the disease. We have formed rapid response teams to take stock of the situation. Our teams of Bombay Municipal Corporation are very active on the ground,” a state government official said, requesting anonymity.

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“We have started doing household surveys. The Union health ministry is constantly in touch with us and supporting us as and when required. Various samples of water, food and sewage are being collected and sent to the laboratories for testing, including the National Institute of Virology,” the official added.

Queries sent to the Union health ministry and NIV remained unanswered till press time.

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Government scientists aware of the matter said that the current GBS surge has been clinically identified by neurologists in patients coming with neurological distress, with sudden numbness and muscle weakness. So far, around 101 cases have been reported in Pune, with one suspected death linked to GBS.

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system, affecting muscle control and sensory signals. Symptoms often start as tingling or weakness in the legs and can spread to the arms, face or chest, sometimes causing paralysis and difficulty in breathing, swallowing or speaking. Critical cases need intensive care. It’s not contagious but is usually triggered by the immune response to bacterial or viral infections linked to diarrhoea or flu, and occasionally after surgery. Prompt medical attention is crucial for managing the condition.

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On Monday, the Union health ministry sent a multi-disciplinary team to Pune to assist the state government authorities in instituting public health interventions to tackle the spurt in GBS cases.

The central team comprises seven experts drawn from National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) Delhi, NIMHANS Bengaluru, Regional Office of Health & Family Welfare, and National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. Three experts from NIV were already supporting the local authorities. The central team has now been expanded, the ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, Mint reported that the Union health ministry is working closely with the state health departments, recommending necessary public health interventions to curb the spread of the disease.

Common link

At a media briefing held by the health ministry on Tuesday, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) director general Dr Rajiv Bahl said the medical body’s scientists have figured out a common link—diarrhoea-related infection—in GBS patients.

“The common link which we have found in GBS patients seems to be diarrhoea and this indicates a history of any stomach infection which might have triggered the GBS in such patients. However, our team of scientists are still working to understand more on it that why it has led the sudden surge in Pune,” said Bahl.

“So far, around 23 stool samples from GBS patients have been tested, out of which four samples have shown the presence of Campylobacter jejuni,” he added.

Bahl also said the scientists were looking into patient histories. “Because when an individual gets infected, GBS can be triggered after two to six weeks of any infection, because it is an autoimmune disease and post-infection syndrome,” he said.

The scientists have also conducted tests for six diseases that are generally known to trigger GBS, he said. “However, all those tests were negative.”