Shillong, Aug 8: With a case of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) reported in Meghalaya, the state government’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) has issued a public health advisory on the rare but potentially life-threatening disease.
The advisory said the Department of Health and Family Welfare maintains a “sustained surveillance mechanism” to see that no outbreaks occur.
The case in Meghalaya is reported NEIGRIHMS involving a 35-year-old patient who, doctors said, has improved following prompt treatment.
A surge of GBS cases in India this year had raised the alarm. The outbreak, centred in Pune but spreading across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal – has killed 23 people with more than 200 reported cases.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), GBS is rare. 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’s own nerves. 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.
Some of the symptoms are weakness and tingling or numbness which develop first in the legs, difficulty walking or climbing stairs, loss of balance or coordination, trouble breathing, swallowing, or speaking.
The health department has “urged residents to seek medical help promptly if such symptoms appear and to avoid self-medication or delaying treatment”. People have also been advised to “maintain good hygiene, avoid contaminated and raw food, protect against mosquito bites in dengue- or Zika-prone areas, and follow a balanced, nutritious diet to strengthen immunity”.
Dr Baiaikmenlang Synmon, senior neurologist at NEIGRIHMS, who is treating the woman said that while sporadic cases are not unusual, timely medical intervention is crucial. “GBS is not contagious, there is no vaccine yet, but with proper treatment, most patients make a full recovery,” she said, adding that fatalities are extremely rare when adequate medical support is provided in time.
