- Wednesday, February 12, 2025
The 53-year-old Mumbai resident had earlier travelled to Pune, where there is an outbreak of this nerve disorder
By: India Weekly
A 53-YEAR-OLD man died of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) at a hospital in Mumbai, the first fatality in the city due to the nerve disorder, officials said on Wednesday.
The patient, a resident of Mumbai’s Wadala area and working as a ward boy in a civic-run hospital, had visited Pune, which has witnessed the GBS outbreak, they said.
He was admitted to another civic-run hospital here on January 23 following complaints of weakness in legs.
The patient was in a critical condition for several days and died on Tuesday, the officials said.
GBS is a rare condition in which a person’s immune system attacks the peripheral nerves, resulting in muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the legs and/or arms, and problems swallowing or breathing.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Bhushan Gagrani confirmed to PTI that it is the first death in the metropolis due to the GBS.
The patient was put on a ventilator as he was facing breathlessness and because of his critical condition, a BMC release said.
“Sixteen days before being admitted to the hospital, the patient had visited Pune,” which has witnessed a large number of GBS cases, it said.
The patient had not shown symptoms like fever and diarrhoea, the civic body said.
Meanwhile, a 16-year-old girl from neighbouring Palghar district is currently undergoing treatment for GBS at the Nair Hospital, the BMC said.
Mumbai reported its first case of GBS on February 7 after a 64-year-old woman, a resident of Andheri (East), was diagnosed with the nerve disorder, officials earlier said.
Pune cases
The Pune region has so far reported eight deaths suspected to have been caused by the GBS.
The tally of suspected and confirmed GBS cases in Pune region on Tuesday reached 197, according to health department officials.
“Of the 197 cases, 172 have been diagnosed with GBS. While 104 patients have been discharged, 50 are in ICU and 20 on ventilator support,” they added.
