PUNE: Maharashtra’s State Public Health Laboratory confirmed Tuesday bacterial contamination of seven water sources across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations, providing clues to the outbreak of GBS that has resulted in 111 cases and one death since Jan 9, report Neha Madaan & Steffy Thevar.
The test results came on a day when, for the first time in over two weeks, no new GBS infection was reported. Twenty cases had been added to the tally over the weekend. The health department’s daily surveillance bulletin mentioned that the number of patients on ventilator support declined from 17 the previous day to 13.
Biological samples from some of the patients have revealed traces of the bacterium Campylobacter jejuni and norovirus, leading public health experts to suspect these as a possible cause of GBS outbreak.
A senior health department official told TOI that 110 water samples collected from different parts of the city had been sent for chemical and biological analysis. “Of the eight recent samples that tested positive for bacterial contamination, four are from GBS-affected areas in Pune, while three are from Pimpri-Chinchwad,” the official said.
Among the contaminated sources in Pune, one sample was collected from Khadakwasla dam. Officials said contamination was expected as the water wasn’t treated.
