Following the death of a 10-year-old boy from Tiruvallur district who was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune neurological disorder, health officials have said that there was no need for worry. Medical camps held in the locality that comprised nearly 150 families found no cluster of cases nor anyone with symptoms of any infections.
The boy, a resident of Thirur in Tiruvallur district, was referred from Tiruvallur government hospital as a case of acute flaccid paralysis with a history of one-day weakness in all four limbs and admitted to the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children on the night of January 22. He was shifted to the intensive care unit. He was diagnosed with Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy, a variant of GBS. He had progressive weakness and required mechanical ventilation, according to doctors.
He received intravenous immunoglobulin from the date of admission. He developed autonomic imbalance and later had hypotension with tachyarrhythmia and sepsis, He died on January 31.
In the light of a rise in GBS cases in Maharashtra, health officials in Tamil Nadu have noted that there was no need to worry. “We do see cases of GBS randomly, with institutions reporting one or two cases sporadically. GBS is a known disease for decades. Soon after this case, we conducted medical camps in the locality and there were no clusters of cases or anyone with symptoms of any infections. We will have to worry only if there is a cluster of cases – viral infections or bacterial infections, respiratory or abdominal infections. Nearly 90% of persons recover completely,” a public health official said.
He added that the department would usually take up monitoring in cases of flaccid paralysis. A senior government doctor said that if a person complains of weakness of the lower limbs and is unable to move, it is important to seek medical help immediately.
Published – February 05, 2025 08:18 pm IST