The fatality count due to suspected Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) rose to 11 after two more patients died in Pune hospitals during treatment, officials said on February 19.

Overall, 23 GBS patients have died in India since the Pune cluster attributed to water contamination was detected on January 9. 

Guillain-Barre Syndrome

• Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a rare neurological disorder of variable clinical severity, including fatal outcomes.

• It is the most common form of acute flaccid paralysis worldwide. 

• The syndrome can affect the nerves that control muscle movement as well as those that transmit pain, temperature and touch sensations. This can result in muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the legs and/or arms, and problems swallowing or breathing.

• While this syndrome is more common in adults and in males, people of all ages can be affected.

• The cause of it is not fully understood, but most cases follow an infection with a virus or bacteria. This leads the immune system to attack the body itself. 

• Infection with the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni, which causes gastroenteritis (including symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea), is one of the most common risk factors for GBS. 

• People can also develop GBS after having the flu or other viral infections including cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and the Zika virus.

Symptoms

• The first symptoms include weakness or tingling sensations. They usually start in the legs and can spread to the arms and face.

• For some people, these symptoms can lead to paralysis of the legs, arms, or muscles in the face. In approximately one third of people, the chest muscles are affected, making it hard to breathe.

• The ability to speak and swallow may become affected in severe cases of GBS. These cases are considered life-threatening, and affected individuals should be treated in intensive-care units.

• People with GBS need supportive treatment, sometimes in intensive care and follow-up. 

• Most treatments available can help manage the symptoms, support the recovery process, and potentially shorten the duration of the illness. 

• Although most cases, even the most serious ones, fully recover, they can produce almost total paralysis.

• Even in the best of settings, a small number of GBS patients die from complications, which can include paralysis of the muscles that control breathing, blood infection, lung clots, or cardiac arrest.

• GBS is not contagious and outbreaks of GBS are very rare.

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