GBS: Pune Reports Eighth Death Linked to Guillain-Barré Syndrome Outbreak, Caseload Rises to 203
Pune, 12th February 2025: A 59-year-old resident of Khadakwasla succumbed to Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in a city hospital early Tuesday morning, marking the eighth fatality linked to the outbreak. With six new cases reported on Wednesday, the total number of affected individuals in Pune has now reached 203. According to health officials, 52 patients are currently in intensive care, while 20 require ventilator support.
The deceased was admitted to Navale Hospital on February 10 at around 8:30 p.m. after experiencing severe weakness. “He was unable to perform basic tasks like holding a glass of water or buttoning his shirt,” a health department official stated. Despite undergoing plasmapheresis—a treatment used for severe GBS cases—his condition deteriorated. “He suffered a sudden cardiac arrest due to hypotension, and despite the doctors’ best efforts, he could not be revived,” the official added.
Preliminary findings indicated that the patient had acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), a severe variant of GBS that affects motor neurons. His initial cause of death has been attributed to hypotensive shock and pulmonary embolism, with a final post-mortem report pending.
Khadakwasla, where the patient lived, is near Nanded Gaon—the epicenter of the outbreak—and has reported a significant number of GBS cases. Health authorities have linked the outbreak to contamination in local water sources. “Many families in these areas depend on untreated well water for daily use,” officials noted.
Earlier this month, the Maharashtra health department identified Campylobacter jejuni bacteria as the likely cause of the outbreak, with contamination suspected in critical water supply pipelines. Ongoing surveillance efforts have detected contamination in water samples from 72 different locations in Pune. “So far, we have collected and sent 5,891 water samples for testing,” officials confirmed.
