Pune is taking action as 100 teams conduct a survey for suspected GBS cases along Sinhagad Road, ensuring community health and safety.
To tackle this, PMC has put together 100 teams that are set to begin their work from Thursday. This was all set in motion after a video conference led by Dr. Babita Kamlapurkar, the joint director of health services. They’re focusing on over 2.5 lakh residents in areas like Nanded City, Khadakwasla, and Dhayari, where more than 61 patients are currently in hospitals.
Dr. Kamlapurkar stressed how urgent this is. They want PMC to treat any sudden weakness as a potential GBS case. The survey will also look for clusters of suspected patients, gathering detailed histories to track the illness’s onset.
Most cases are popping up in Nanded City and nearby areas. They’ll be doing a thorough survey and even testing water and food samples to check for any contaminants. Dr. Nina Borade, the health chief at PMC, confirmed that they’re on it with those 100 teams.
The population in these areas is quite large, and they’re collecting water samples since it seems like all the suspected cases might share a common water source. They’re also looking into whether past Zika virus infections could be linked to this surge in GBS cases.
Sassoon General Hospital has 10 suspected GBS patients right now, with three on ventilators. Most of them are men from the affected areas. Their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing. Doctors are also asking for more intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to help treat the severe cases.
Dr. Rajesh Karayakrte, part of the Rapid Response Team, mentioned that they found campylobacter jejuni in some suspected cases. This bacteria is often found in poultry and animal waste, so they need to check out local farms to see if that’s causing any contamination.
To keep everything in check, there’s going to be a meeting with various medical associations to make sure everyone’s on the same page about this outbreak. PMC is reassuring everyone that they’re doing everything possible to control the spread of GBS.
