GBS outbreak: Maharashtra reports first suspected death, cases in Pune rise to 101

A patient hospitalised on January 9 is suspected to be the first GBS case within the Pune cluster.
Sixteen patients diagnosed with GBS are on ventilator support. Nineteen symptomatic cases involve children under nine, while 23 cases fall within the 50-80 age group.

Tests have revealed the Campylobacter jejuni bacteria in some biological samples drawn from hospitalised patients.

Authorities are testing Pune's water, focusing on areas with reported cases. Tests on Saturday showed high E. coli levels in a well near Khadakwasla Dam, the city’s main water reservoir, though officials said its usage remains unclear. Residents have been advised to boil water and heat food before consumption.

Causes and symptoms

C. jejuni causes about a third of all GBS cases worldwide and is also responsible for the most severe infections. It leads to weakness, paralysis, or other symptoms. It is a rare but treatable condition. It occurs when the body's immune system, while reacting to a bacterial or viral infection, mistakenly attacks the nerves that carry brain signals to parts of the body, leading to weakness, paralysis, or other symptoms.

According to doctors, 80% of affected patients regain the ability to walk unaided within six months of hospital discharge, though some may take a year or longer to fully recover limb function.

GBS treatment is also  expensive. Patients will typically need a course of immunoglobulin (IVIG) injections.

The Times of India quotes a family saying that their 68-year-old relative, admitted on Jan 16, needed an IVIG course of 13 injections, with each shot costing about Rs 20,000.

Three major hospitals in Pune alerted local health authorities earlier this week after reporting an unusually high number of GBS patients—26 on January 10 among new admissions. By Friday, the count had surged to 73.

Citing the rising cases in Pune, Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar announced free treatment for GBS patients.

"The treatment is expensive. After discussions with the district administration and municipal corporation, we have decided to provide it free of cost," Pawar said, adding: “Those from Pimpri-Chinchwad will be treated at YCM Hospital, while patients from Pune Municipal Corporation areas will receive treatment at Kamla Nehru Hospital. For citizens from rural areas, free treatment will be provided at Sassoon Hospital in Pune.”

Health officials surveyed 25,578 homes by Sunday in an effort to identify additional cases and investigate the cause of the GBS surge, which usually sees fewer than two cases per month.