Indian state suspects first death from Guillain-Barre syndrome amid rising cases
MUMBAI, Jan 27 (Reuters) - One person is believed to have died in India's Maharashtra state in an outbreak of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) - a neurological disease that causes numbness, weakness and pain - and the number of cases is rising, health officials said on Monday.
A total of 101 cases of GBS have so far been reported in the state, most of them in and around Pune city, which lies about 180 km (110 miles) from the state capital and India's financial hub Mumbai.
The state's public health department said in a statement that one person had died in the city of Solapur and 16 patients were currently on ventilators.
A rapid response team visited the affected areas, it said.
"Citizens should not panic – the state's health department is prepared to implement preventive and control measures," the statement said.
A federal health ministry spokesperson said the government has sent a seven-member team to Pune to assess the situation following the outbreak.
The condition, in which the body's immune system attacks nerves, can cause paralysis and even death.
Most symptoms occur within days or weeks of a viral or bacterial infection and typically last a few weeks, according to the World Health Organization.
Most people recover fully from even the most severe cases of GBS, although some continue to experience weakness, the global health agency says.
"The exact cause is not known behind the sudden rise in GBS cases," said Avinash Bhondwe, the former president of the Indian Medical Association, Maharashtra, adding that GBS was a post-infective auto-immune disease.
"Auto-immune diseases are not communicable, it cannot spread from one patient to another. But the causative infection usually spreads."
Drainage water gets mixed with potable water in some affected areas in Pune where water lines and drainage lines run side by side, leading to contamination and caused the spike in GBS cases among other possible reasons, Bhondwe said.
In its guidance, health authorities asked citizens to drink boiling water among other measures.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
13 hours ago
- The Independent
Why China is making hospitals offer women pain relief for childbirth
China has mandated that all tertiary hospitals (over 500 beds) must offer epidural anaesthesia during childbirth by the end of 2024, with plans to extend to secondary hospitals (over 100 beds) by 2027. The initiative aims to create a more "friendly childbearing environment" amid declining birth rates in China. Currently, only about 30% of pregnant women in China receive anesthesia for pain relief during childbirth, compared to over 70% in some developed countries. The World Health Organisation recommends epidurals for healthy pregnant women, and they are widely used in countries like France, the United States, and Canada. To encourage more women to have children, an increasing number of provinces in China are including childbirth anesthesia costs in medical insurance schemes, and some provinces are extending marriage and maternity leave.
Daily Record
14 hours ago
- Daily Record
What has caused the global spike in new Covid variant 'Nimbus' NB.1.8.1?
The new 'Nimbus' strain is the latest Covid variant, and cases have been confirmed in the UK. A new variant of Covid named NB.1.8.1 or 'Nimbus' is spreading like wildfire across the globe, with India the newest country to report a severe spike in cases. This new strain has also been found in Thailand, Indonesia and China, and the UK Health Security Agency recorded its first cases in the UK last week. NB.1.8.1 originated from the Omicron variant of the virus, and was first found back in January of this year. Cases have also been reported in states across the United States and Australia. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Nimbus variant made up around 10.7 per cent of global recorded sequences in April, a staggering increase from just 2.5 per cent in March. The new strain has been declared a "variant under monitoring" by WHO, meaning that it could change the behaviours of the virus. Nimbus has been found in 22 countries so far and presents some unusual new symptoms. Scientists have found that this new variant also spreads more easily than previous strains of Covid, which may explain the recent surge in cases. Dr Chun Tang, GP at UK private healthcare centre Pall Mall Medical, said: 'NB.1.8.1 isn't too different from the Omicron variant, but it does have some tweaks to its spike protein, which might make it spread a bit more easily or slip past some of our existing immunity. 'That said, early signs suggest it doesn't seem to cause more serious illness, but of course, we're still learning more about it.' Australian virologist Lara Herrero, of Griffith University, wrote in The Conversation last month: 'Using lab-based models, researchers found NB.1.8.1 had the strongest binding affinity to the human ACE2 receptor of several variants tested, suggesting it may infect cells more efficiently than earlier strains." WHO has stated that risk to the global public is low, and that existing Covid vaccines are considered effective in preventing severe cases of the virus. Most common symptoms of Nimbus are similar to that of previous Covid strains. They include a severe sore throat, fatigue, mild cough, fever, muscle aches and congestion. Some patients have also experienced gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhoea, or even heartburn, reported The Independent. The full list of symptoms are; a high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature) a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste shortness of breath feeling tired or exhausted an aching body a headache a sore throat a blocked or runny nose loss of appetite diarrhoea feeling sick or being sick While Nimbus may be more easily transmissible between people, healthcare experts are stressing that there is no evidence that the new strain is more deadly or serious than previous variants. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Mpox is still a health emergency, WHO says
June 9 (Reuters) - The mpox outbreak is still a public health emergency, the World Health Organization said on Monday, with the health body's director-general issuing a revised set of temporary recommendations. The WHO first declared the emergency in August last year, when an outbreak of a new form of mpox spread from the badly-hit Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries. A public health emergency of international concern is WHO's highest form of alert.
