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GBS outbreak: WHO arrives amid rising Guillain-Barré Syndrome cases

Updated on: 07 February,2025 06:33 PM IST  |  Mumbai
Archana Dahiwal | mailbag@mid-day.com

Last week, the team visited the affected areas to examine the situation; The officials added that they worked closely with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and state and district authorities to trace and test suspected cases

GBS outbreak: WHO arrives amid rising Guillain-Barré Syndrome cases

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The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting health authorities in Maharashtra to respond to suspected and confirmed cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in Pune. Chetan Khade, the surveillance medical officer of WHO, Pune told mid-day, “The WHO teams are on the ground training the health workforce in conducting ‘active case searches’ in the community to ensure every suspected case is identified, diagnosed and treated.”


The officials added that they worked closely with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and state and district authorities to trace and test suspected cases and follow up on confirmed cases. Last week, the team visited the affected areas to examine the situation.


Also read: Mumbai reports first case; BMC confirms 64-year-old woman tests positive 


The WHO officials added that GBS is a rare condition, the cause for which is not fully understood. The municipal corporations are promoting public health interventions, food and hand hygiene, and safe water for disease management. There’s no cure for GBS, but treatments can speed recovery and reduce symptoms.

Drawing comparisons between GBS, COVID is misleading: Maharashtra health mininster

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.”

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.

(With inputs from Sanjeev Shivadekar)

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