First GBS death in Andhra, 2 Maha casualties take all-India toll to 19

KOLHAPUR/GUNTUR: Three more deaths from

Guillain Barre Syndrome

(GBS) - two in Maharashtra's Kolhapur and one in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur - in the last 24 hours took the countrywide toll in the outbreak since Jan to 19.
While Andhra Pradesh reported its first death from the rare neurological disorder, the fatality count in Maharashtra has now reached 15. Assam, Tamil Nadu and Bengal account for a death each.
With a 65-year-old man from Kolhapur and a 64-year-old from Karnataka's Chikodi dying at Kolhapur's CPR Hospital on Saturday night from GBS, three people have died at the govt facility within a week. Both men who died on Saturday had a history of hypertension and diabetes, Dr Satyawan More, dean of CPR Hospital, said.
"By the time they were brought in, their symptoms had progressed significantly. We started them on immunoglobulin therapy and provided ventilator support. However, there was little chance of survival," said More, adding that nerve conduction tests were carried out on both the patients.

Significantly, no fresh cases or deaths were reported from Pune on Sunday for the first time since the outbreak on Jan 5. So far, Pune and nearby areas have reported 208 GBS cases.
In Guntur, a 60-year-old woman from Prakasam district who was on ventilator support for the last few days died from GBS at the Govt General Hospital on Sunday. Four more patients are undergoing treatment for the disease at the Guntur hospital while 13 people have been admitted at hospitals elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh.
Health minister Satya Kumar said the govt has kept sufficient stocks of immunoglobulin for providing treatment to GBS patients.