Pune adds nine cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, tally at 158; WHO teams on ground to help

Pune: The number of people admitted for Guillain-Barré Syndrome treatment in Pune increased to 158 after nine cases were added on February 2. There have been no new deaths and the toll stands at five.
There was positive news for the city over the weekend. Patients on ventilator support dipped to 21 on Sunday, from Saturday's 28. ICU admissions also dropped, to 48 from the earlier 83. Doctors at hospitals treating the patients said they are seeing good recoveries. Overall, 38 people have been discharged so far.
Health authorities investigating the GBS surge said they were now being assisted by personnel from the World Health Organization, in training and preparation of data that will track when neighbourhoods began reporting cases.
A WHO official said teams recently visited some of the city's affected areas and have since been working closely with municipal officials to train health workers in "active case searches", to ensure every suspected case is "identified, diagnosed and treated".
"The 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," said Dr Roderico H Ofrin, WHO representative to India, in an official statement.
At hospitals, doctors said they were expecting several more discharges in the coming days.
Dr Sudhir Kothari, neurologist at Poona Hospital, said: "One young patient in his 20s who was on ventilator support has recovered. He still has some difficulty swallowing and requires a feeding tube. Another patient, a woman in her 50s with asthma, had badly impacted lungs due to both GBS and her pre-existing condition. She has now been weaned off noninvasive ventilatory support (BiPAP) and is set to be discharged on Monday. She was in ICU for a week."
Dr Kothari said the hospital has discharged six people so far. "One person unfortunately passed away due to GBS. But two more patients are awaiting discharge - one is expected to go home on Monday while the other will likely be ready in a week," he said.
Dr Ameet Dravid, an infectious disease specialist attached to Poona and Noble hospitals, said he too has started to see good recoveries.
He said: "A 50-year-old woman in ICU, who initially had 'grade 0' muscle power was diagnosed with the most severe axonal variant of GBS, which directly affects nerve fibre and is associated with slower recovery and greater disability. But she is recovering, with muscle strength now at 'grade 3'. She was given intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and needed high-flow oxygen support."
Dr Dravid said another patient, a 28-year-old man who was on ventilator for five days, with complete paralysis (grade 0 muscle power), also recovered. "He was able to walk and back at grade 4 muscle strength."
At Sassoon hospital, dean Dr Eknath Pawar said they discharged five patients on Sunday, out of the 28 people with GBS admitted since Jan 15. Four of these people had come to the hospital in a critical state.
Dr Pawar said one of the discharged patients had history of travel to Delhi. "But all five had paralysis that affected all four limbs, with one also experiencing paralysis of swallowing and speaking muscles. They were hospitalized for 8 to 10 days, with three receiving plasmapheresis and two undergoing IVIG treatment, along with physiotherapy and supportive care. Their treatment, including IVIG and plasmapheresis, was provided free of cost," he said.