Indian authorities have announced the death of the first person with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) after an outbreak of the rare autoimmune disease emerged in the state of Maharashtra. Experts explain that GBS does not spread from person to person – so what is causing the large increase in cases?
The state public health department said in a statement that one person had died in Solapur city and 16 hospitalized people were currently on ventilators. A total of 101 GBS cases have been reported in Maharashtra so far, most of them in and around Pune, Reuters reported on Monday. Pune is approximately 180 km from the state capital and financial center IndiaMumbai.
“Citizens should not panic – the state health department is prepared to implement preventive and control measures,” the authorities said in a statement. A spokesman for India's health ministry said the government had sent a seven-member team to Pune to assess the situation at the site of the outbreak.
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A new outbreak of a rare disease
“The exact cause of the sudden increase in GBS cases is unknown,” said Avinash Bhondwe, former president of the Indian Medical Association in the state of Maharashtra, as quoted by Reuters. As he explained, Guillain-Barré syndrome is an autoimmune disease. – Autoimmune diseases are not contagious and cannot spread from one patient to another – he noted.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the case of GBS, “the causative agent is not fully understood”, but “most cases result from infection with a virus or bacterium”. The most common risk factors include the Campylobacter jejuni bacterium, found e.g. in animal feces, which causes acute gastroenteritis. Avinash Bhondwe notes that the increase in cases may be due to the fact that in selected areas in the Pune region, drinking water is mixed with sewage, leading to contamination.
What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome – symptoms
WHO reports that GBS is a rare disease that can occur at any age, but more often affects adults and men. The first symptoms of Guillain-Barré Syndrome include weakness or tingling. They usually start in the legs and may spread to the arms and face. In more severe forms, paralysis of limbs, breathing disorders due to weakening of respiratory muscles, swallowing and speaking disorders, and facial muscle paralysis may occur. Difficulty breathing may require immediate medical attention. In people with a weakened immune system, the syndrome can cause paralysis and, in extreme cases, death.
The University Hospital in Krakow states on its website that approximately 5 percent die. sick, approx. 75 percent regains full fitness, and in approximately 20 percent After completion of treatment, tingling in the limbs or muscle weakness may persist. The occurrence of symptoms of the disease is “quite often” preceded by an infection of the upper respiratory tract or digestive system, says the Krakow hospital.
Reuters, The Times of India
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