PUNE: Cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) in Pune continued to mount over three weeks into the outbreak, touching 158 on Sunday with confirmation of nine new infections, the Maharashtra health department said in its daily bulletin. World Health Organisation (WHO) is now working closely with the Pune district administration as it responds to the surge in cases.
The increased caseload contrasted with the number of patients on ventilator support dropping to 21 from 28 overnight. ICU patients also declined from 83 on Saturday to 48. Overall, 38 GBS patients have been discharged so far. Doctors said many patients who were in a serious condition had started to show improvement. The last casualty was reported on Saturday, taking the toll to five.
A WHO official said teams recently visited some of the city’s affected areas and were collaborating with municipal officials to train health workers in “active case searches” and ensure every suspected case is “identified, diagnosed and treated”.
“WHO is providing technical and on-ground field support to district- and state-level teams to empower responders with adequate resources, training and support systems,” Dr Roderico H Ofrin, WHO representative to India, said in an official statement. WHO teams will also help authorities analyse epidemiology and trends, including the preparation of a “spot map” showing geographical distribution of cases and an “epidemic curve” chart, to track GBS detections over time.
