Since January, Pune and several other parts of Maharashtra have been grappling with an outbreak of Guillain-Barré Syndrome ( GBS ). The Indian Council of Medical Research ( ICMR ) has now identified Campylobacter jejuni in 20-30% of the affected patient samples. This finding aligns with earlier detections of C. jejuni in patient samples by Pune scientists. The GBS outbreak in Pune is the largest ever recorded in India, with over 200 suspected and confirmed cases and seven fatalities.
Initially, experts suspected that a contaminated drinking water source supplying Pune and nearby villages could be responsible. However, the ICMR and the National Institute of Virology, Pune, have not yet officially confirmed the source of the outbreak. Epidemiologists have called for greater transparency in the chemical analysis of water sources in the affected areas. Although GBS is rare, its incidence…
