First GBS death in Mumbai: 53-year-old man succumbs to symptoms

A 53-year-old man in Mumbai has died from Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), making it the city’s first death from the uncommon neurological condition and raising the overall death count in Maharashtra to eight, authorities reported. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has not yet verified if his case is connected to the current GBS outbreak in Pune.

The patient, who worked at BMC’s V N Desai Hospital, was on ventilator support at the city-operated Nair Hospital prior to passing away due to complications from the illness.

The man’s family stated that he had visited Pune for a day last month prior to becoming unwell. He was hospitalized on January 23 after suffering from increasing weakness, a key symptom of GBS. “A senior BMC official stated, ‘We are looking into the situation to find out if there is any link between this case and the outbreak in Pune.’”

GBS is an uncommon yet severe autoimmune disorder where the body’s immune system wrongly targets the peripheral nerves, resulting in muscle weakness, paralysis, and in extreme cases, respiratory failure. Although the precise reason is unclear, it is frequently instigated by infections such as the flu, gastrointestinal bacteria such as Campylobacter jejuni, or, in certain instances, vaccinations. The illness can advance quickly, necessitating extensive medical treatment, including mechanical ventilation if the respiratory muscles are compromised.

A senior BMC official emphasised that cases of GBS are recorded throughout the year and there is no immediate cause for alarm. “GBS occurs sporadically, and unless we identify a clear connection between this case and Pune, it does not hold epidemiological significance,” the official said. This comes just days after Mumbai  reported its first confirmed case of GBS in a 64-year-old woman. She had a history of diarrhoea and fever, which was soon followed by ascending paralysis—a characteristic symptom of the syndrome.