Mysterious Disease Outbreak in Pune: Over 100 Infected, 1 Dead, Many Critical

Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): Pune is witnessing an outbreak of a mysterious disease. The number of cases of rare neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) crossed 100 on Sunday. A suspected GBS death has also been reported in Solapur. According to initial reports, the victim was infected in Pune and later went to Solapur.

According to the health department, 18 more suspected cases of GBS have been reported in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and surrounding districts. Of the 101 patients undergoing treatment in various hospitals, 16 are on ventilators. These include 68 men and 33 women.

The age-wise details of patients affected by the mysterious disease spreading in Pune are as follows: 19 children below 9 years of age, 15 teenagers between 10 and 19 years, 20 youths between 20 and 29 years, 13 persons between 30 and 39 years, 12 persons between 40 and 49 years, 13 persons between 50 and 59 years, 8 persons between 60 and 69 years and 1 person between 70 and 80 years are suffering from this disease.

At the same time, according to the area-wise details, 81 cases have been reported from Pune Municipal Corporation area, 14 from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation area and 6 from other districts. It is clear from this that the outbreak of this disease is more in Pune city and its surrounding areas, in which people of all age groups have been affected, but the number of youth and children is relatively higher. Cases have been reported mainly from Sinhagad Road, Khadakvasla, Dhayari, Kirkat-wadi and surrounding areas.

Water samples have been sent for testing due to suspicion of contamination. Initial tests have come back negative for dengue, Zika and chikungunya, but 9 of the 11 stool samples have tested positive for norovirus and 3 for Campylobacter jejuni bacterial infection.

According to the health department, the first GBS case is suspected in a patient admitted to a hospital in Pune on January 9. Tests have found Campylobacter jejuni bacteria in some samples. High levels of E. coli bacteria have also been found in a well near the Khadakvasla dam, but it is not clear whether the well was being used. People have been advised to drink boiled water and eat food after heating it. The health department is surveying 25,578 households to identify as many sick people as possible and find out the reason for the increase in GBS cases. GBS is a serious disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves. Its treatment is expensive, one injection costs Rs 20,000.