Prakash Abitkar warns against misinformation, says equating two conditions will only fuel panic; since January 9 till date (February 4), the state registered 158 GBS patients, of whom 38 were discharged and 20 are on ventilators
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Drawing comparisons between Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and COVID-19 is not only wrong to do, but one of the reasons for unnecessarily creating panic and fear among citizens. Speaking to the media in Mantralaya on Tuesday, Maharashtra Health Minister Prakashrao Abitkar said, “Equating a rare autoimmune disorder with a viral infection and drawing comparisons between the two (GBS and COVID-19) is not only misleading but also contributes to fear and panic in the society.”
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Prakashrao Abitkar, minister for public health and family welfare. Pic/Instagram/Prakash_Abitkar
Since January 9 till date (February 4), the state registered 158 GBS patients, of whom 38 were discharged and 20 are on ventilators. Dr Nipun Vinyak, secretary, public health, said, “GBS is related to the immune system whereas COVID-19 is linked to the SRAS-CoV2 virus. GBS is not contagious,” the secretary added. The IAS officer further cited that for 21 days the administration is keeping track of the discharged patients.
Asked about whether there is any SoP for disposal of dead bodies of people who succumbed to the GBS, Abitkar said, “It is not a contagious disease; there is no specific protocol for disposing of dead bodies.” However, the state has already been instructed to conduct an audit of all the dead cases reported in Maharashtra. The minister also mentioned that Union Health Minister J P Nadda chaired a high-level meeting through video-conferencing on the state of GBS cases with Maharashtra's Minister of Public health. In the meeting, instructions were given to focus on creating awareness and availability of medicines.
GBS is a rare condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness, with symptoms including severe weakness in the limbs.
On Tuesday, three fresh cases of GBS were reported in Maharashtra's Pune city, taking the overall tally to 166.
Officials of the Rapid Response Team (RRT), formed to probe the outbreak of the GBS cases in Nanded and adjoining localities in Sinhagad Road area, said there were 77 GBS patients in Nanded. Of them, the households of 62 patients were visited to take the drinking water samples.
Last week, Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar said 80 per cent of the suspected GBS cases in Pune have been reported from areas located around a mega well in Nanded.
He had noted that high number of cases in certain areas appeared to be linked to suspected water contamination.
