GBS outbreak: Three die of suspected Guillain-Barre Syndrome in West Bengal in four days

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Three persons, including a child, have died due to suspected Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) in West Bengal in the past few days, though the state health department is yet to officially confirm the cause of the deaths, reported news agency PTI.

All three persons died in government hospitals in Kolkata and Hooghly district.

A senior health department official said, "The situation in West Bengal is absolutely under control and there is nothing to panic about," reported PTI.

The three deceased persons were Debkumar Sahu (10) of Jagaddal in North 24 Parganas district, Aritra Manal (17) from Amdanga in the same district and another 48-year-old man in Dhaniakhali village in Hooghly district, sources told PTI.

Family members of the three claimed that they died of suspected GBS, an immunological nerve disorder.

Debkumar died at the BC Roy Hospital in Kolkata on January 26 while the teenager from Amdanga, who was undergoing treatment at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in the city, died the next day, sources told PTI.

The man from Hooghly district died on Wednesday in a hospital there.

"The hospital told us that the condition of Debkumar kept on deteriorating while being treated. They did not tell us that the cause of his death was GB syndrome, but in the death certificate, the suspected GB syndrome was mentioned," the boy's uncle Govinda Sahu told PTI.

Meanwhile, four more children suffering from suspected GB syndrome were undergoing treatment at the BC Roy Hospital and Institute of Child Health, the sources told PTI.

GBS is a rare condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness, with symptoms including severe weakness in the limbs and loose motion. Bacterial and viral infections generally lead to GBS as they weaken the immunity of patients, as per doctors.

Maharashtra records 127 GBS cases

The total number of suspected cases of GBS in Pune and other districts of the State is 127 with 72 confirmed cases, the Maharashtra Public Health Department said in a press release on Wednesday.

"As of today, 127 suspected cases of GBS have been identified, with 2 suspected deaths. Out of these, 72 patients have been confirmed as having GBS. 23 patients are from Pune Municipal Corporation, 73 from newly added villages in the PMC area, 13 from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, 9 from Pune Rural, and 9 from other districts. Among the affected individuals, 20 are currently on ventilator support," the press release said.

On Tuesday, the Director General Indian Council of Medical Research Dr Rajiv Bahl said that the cases are under investigation as a team of experts has collected various samples.

"Samples of stool and blood of those infected are being tested at the NIV Pune lab, but yet to get any definite leads on the cause behind the spread," Dr Bahl said.

(With inputs from PTI)