The number of suspected cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a rare nerve disorder, in Pune and some other districts of Maharashtra has risen to 130, health department officials have said.

Two patients – a 56-year-old woman from Pune and a man from Solapur district – have died due to suspected GBS in the state so far.

Officials said on Thursday that three new suspected infections were recorded the previous day.

“A total of 130 suspected patients and two suspected deaths linked to GBS have been recorded until now. Of these, 73 are diagnosed as confirmed GBS cases. Twenty-five patients are from Pune Municipal Corporation areas, 74 from newly-added villages under PMC, 13 from Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation areas, nine from Pune rural and nine from other districts,” an official said.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who on Thursday presided over a District Planning Committee meeting in Pune and instructed civic as well as district health officials to take stringent action against hospitals which overcharge GBS patients.

Pawar, who is also the Pune district guardian minister, instructed the officials to ensure an adequate supply of drugs for GBS, a rare condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness, with symptoms including severe weakness in the limbs.

The GBS outbreak in Pune and surrounding areas is likely linked to contaminated water sources. Campylobacter jejuni, a bacteria found in contaminated food and water, is believed to be the reason for the outbreak.

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