Cases of suspected and confirmed Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) in Maharashtra have reached 207 after two cases were detected, a health official said. With the addition of the two new cases on Friday, the tally of confirmed cases stands at 180, of which 20 are on ventilator support, the official said.
Meanwhile, though the official death toll remained unchanged at eight as per the state health department, a suspected fatality from the ailment was reported from Kolhapur. A district health official said a 60-year-old woman from Changid tehsil there died on February 13.
"She suffered paralysis of the lower limbs and was first admitted in a hospital in Changid and then taken to neighbouring Karnataka. She was brought back to a hospital in Kolhapur on February 11, where she died two days later," the official said.
Most of the cases in the state have been reported from Pune. A 53-year-old man has also died of GBS at a hospital in Mumbai, the first fatality in the city due to the nerve disorder, officials had said earlier.
GBS is a rare condition in which a person's immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, resulting in muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the legs and/or arms, and problems swallowing or breathing.
GBS scare: Will bring law for clean water supply, fines for polluters, says minister
Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar said the state government will bring a law to ensure people get clean drinking water and also fine entities that contaminate and pollute water, his statement coming in the backdrop of rising Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) cases.
The Pune Municipal Corporation, state health department etc have worked very hard to ensure GBS cases are contained, he told reporters.
"Several agencies such as an expert team from the Centre, World Health Organization, state health department are working in tandem on the various aspects of the disease and ensuring that in future such cases do not spread. Now, since it is confirmed that the outbreak was triggered by water borne bacteria, responsibility will be fixed and action taken," he asserted.
(With PTI inputs)