During the day, four fresh cases of suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), were reported in Pune district, taking the overall tally in Maharashtra to 170, officials said
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The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has sealed 19 private RO plants in the Nanded village area, the epicentre of the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) outbreak in Pune, after tests confirmed that the water from these facilities was unfit for drinking, officials said on Wednesday, reported the PTI.
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During the day, four fresh cases of suspected Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare nerve disorder, were reported in Pune district of Maharashtra, taking the overall tally in Maharashtra to 170, they said.
The now-sealed privately owned reverse-osmosis (RO) plants, located in the Dhayari-Nanded area, supplied bottled water to a large number of people in the vicinity.
Following the crackdown, the water supply department of the Pune Municipal Corporation announced plans to formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent the distribution of contaminated water in the area, according to the PTI.
"During the investigation of the water samples collected from some privately run RO plants, it was found that the water from 19 such RO plants operating in the Nanded and adjoining area, was unfit for drinking. Accordingly, all these 19 RO plants were sealed and their functioning has been stopped," said Prithviraj P B, additional commissioner of PMC, as per the PTI.
Nandkishor Jagtap, head of the PMC's water supply department said they found Escherichia coli bacteria in the samples collected from these 19 RO plants.
In the wake of the discovery of E.coli, private water suppliers have been asked to use the bleaching powder solution provided by the PMC to ensure that the bacteria is contained, he said, the news agency reported.
Members of a rapid response team formed to probe the GBS outbreak in Nanded village and adjoining localities on Sinhagad Road area had said on Tuesday that there was no chlorine in the drinking water supplied to households of 26 suspected patients of the rare nerve disorder.
The health officials said that GBS typically manifests through sudden muscle weakness, paralysis, or difficulty in walking. In some cases, symptoms are preceded by sustained diarrhea.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is supporting health authorities in Maharashtra to respond to suspected and confirmed cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in Pune.
(with PTI inputs)
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