Gujarat: GBS cases in Panchmahal keep officials on their toes

VADODARA: With about a dozen cases of the rare Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) being reported in Godhra town of Panchmahal, the district administration is on its toes. These cases have been reported in about a week's time.
GBS is neither contagious nor hereditary and such clustering of cases has not been heard of by doctors. Teams from the GMERS Medical College, Gotri and SSG Hospital in Vadodara have rushed to Godhra.Some patients have been shifted to hospitals in Vadodara.
A private hospital in Vadodara saw the admission of the first such case on February 15. Health officials in Vadodara also informed their Panchmahal counterparts when they came across three such cases in the city.
Panchmahal chief district health officer (CDHO) Dr Meenakshi Chauhan said that till Tuesday evening, they had identified eight cases and the number rose to 12 by Wednesday. The cases include eight children and four adults.
Chauhan said that the cases were seen in the same area, but with different pockets therein. She added that an infection can trigger GBS.
Paediatric critical care specialist Dr Hemang Mendpara, who is treating five such cases at a private hospital in the city, said that GBS in most cases begins with symptoms of weak legs because nerves are affected.
"If not picked up in time, it progresses and can involve the respiratory system," he said.
Mendpara said that the prevalence of the disease was around one case in one lakh population earlier. But during Covid, this prevalence has gone up, he added. Mendpara has been in touch with doctors from the GMERS, Gotri hospital as well as Panchmahal health officials.