By Sonali Priya, Abhijit Sherekar, Aryesh Chakraborty On January 17, when Ganesh Pawar (name changed) suddenly started feeling weak and had trouble in basic movement, his family was concerned. When his family took him to the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, the doctors there sensed something was not right and he was admitted immediately. Pawar was wheeled into the ICU as his condition was serious and was admitted there for seven days. For five days, he was injected with intravenous immunoglobulin (IV-IG) injections to help recover. During his hosptialisation, Pawar was often scared but the doctors and the staff ensured he never lost courage. Although the disease has left him shaken and he still experiences some weakness, Pawar is now back home with his family and is trying to get back to his normal life. Similarly, a 57-year-old woman has also successfully recovered after experiencing mild symptoms of GBS on January 22. She was admitted to the general ward after experiencing sudden weakness in her lower part of the body, especially her legs. "I felt extreme weakness in my legs when I stood up to do household chores, and I was unable to move. Sensing the severity, my husband took me to the hospital." She was treated with Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IV-IG) and Vitamin B12 supplements and was discharged on January 25. "It's been five days since I was discharged. My body feels 70% recovered, and I am able to manage on my own, though I still experience some weakness, but I am positive that I will be on my way to a healthy life soon," she added. In response to a question regarding whether anyone in her close vicinity had these symptoms, she replied that except her, no one has contracted this rare syndrome. Doctors have recommended physiotherapy to both the patients and a nutrient-rich diet to help strengthen their immune system. Over the last few weeks, there has been an increase in the cases of Gullain Barre Syndrome (GBS)--a rate autoimmune response in which the body’s immune system turns on itself and attacks the peripheral nervous system. Often this is caused after a serious infection by bacteria or a virus. The outbreak of the disease occurred in the villages which were recently brought under the jurisdiction of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). State health minister Prakash Abitkar said the present outbreak is linked to the contamination of water supplied to the areas by the PMC.
