GBS outbreak: Lack of chlorine in water supplied to patients' houses in Pune, say Officials

The officials said that a water quality survey held around Nanded village the epicentre of GuillainBarre Syndrome GBS in Pune city has found there was a lack of chlorine in the drinking water supplied to households of 26 patients of this nerve disorder reported news agency PTIGBS is a rare condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness with symptoms including severe weakness in the limbsOn Tuesday three fresh cases of GBS were reported in Maharashtras Pune city taking the overall tally to 166 they saidOfficials of the Rapid Response Team RRT formed to probe the outbreak of the GBS cases in Nanded and adjoining localities in the 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 samplesThe findings of the housetohouse survey about the lack of chlorine in drinking water were discussed in the RRTs meetingExperts have now urged the Pune Municipal Corporations PMC water supply department to take immediate action to maintain a chlorine level of 02 ppm parts per million in the household water supply to ensure public health safetyWhile water at the source well was found to be adequately purified with sufficient chlorine levels zero chlorine was detected in households of 26 patients out of 62 an RRT member said reported PTIThe water supply department should take immediate action to maintain a minimum chlorine level of 02 ppm in household water supply he saidLast week Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar said 80 per cent of the suspected GBS outbreak cases in Pune have been reported from areas located around a mega well in NandedHe had noted that a high number of cases in certain areas appeared to be linked to suspected water contaminationWhen contacted PMCs water supply department head Nandkishor Jagtap said the water from the well in Nanded which supplies to four to five villages is adequately purified with sufficient chlorine levelsThe reasons for zero level of chlorine level could be that the households must be sourcing water from other sources such as private tankers or noncleaning of overhead water tanks at the residential society or individual household he said reported PTIThere is another reason that if the water is stored in large quantities the levels of chlorine could go volatile the official saidJagtap said his department also collected samples in which chlorine was not found in some and Escherichia coli or E coli bacteria were foundAfter we found E coli in some of the water samples collected from the tankers their operators have been issued notices and they have been instructed to use bleaching power solutions provided by the PMC to ensure the bacteria is contained he saidSome of the private water ATMs were seized after E coli was found in their samples he addedMeanwhile Dr Radhakishan Pawar deputy director of the state health department and chairman of the RRT said the GBS outbreak is subsiding now reported PTIThere are around 165 cases of which 77 are cluster cases which are from Nanded village area The remaining cases are from other parts of Pune and other districts and they are not epidemiologically related to the Nanded area he saidWe consider these 77 cases in Nanded and adjoining areas as an outbreak as they are more than normal and accordingly the investigations and sample collection of water stool poultry food was going on Pawar said reported PTIHe added that a decline in the number of GBS cases has been observed nowThere was a peak around January 18 and 19 but now a decline has been recorded he saidWith inputs from PTI