New Delhi, Jan 27 Amid the rising cases of Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) in Maharashtra's Pune, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday deputed a seven-member team to support public health interventions and management in the state.
Pune has so far reported 111 cases of GBS -- a potentially paralysing nerve disorder.
Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar said on Monday that 17 patients diagnosed with GBS have been put on ventilators.
The Centre's high-level team consists of multi-disciplinary experts who aim to support the state health authorities in instituting public health interventions and management given the spurt in suspected and confirmed cases of GBS.
"The Central team to Maharashtra comprises of seven experts drawn from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Delhi, NIMHANS Bengaluru, Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare, and National Institute for Virology (NIV), Pune," the Health Ministry said.
This is in addition to three experts from NIV, Pune, who were already supporting the local authorities.
The team will work closely with the State Health Departments to take stock of on-ground situation and recommend necessary public health interventions.
The Union Health Ministry informed of taking proactive steps by monitoring the situation and coordinating with the state.
Meanwhile, the State Health Department in an advisory shared that one can prevent GBS up to a certain extent by taking general precautions such as drinking boiled water/bottled water, washing fruits, and vegetables thoroughly before eating, properly cooking poultry and meat; avoiding raw or undercooked food, especially salads, eggs, kebabs or seafood.
It also suggested keeping raw and cooked foods separate, disinfecting kitchen surfaces and utensils after handling raw meat, as well as adopting general hygiene measures like frequent handwashing with soap, especially before eating and after using the toilet.
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