Contaminated water likely to be source of GBS outbreak

With new Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) cases getting reported daily, public health officials, immunologists and neurologists now suspect contaminated water as the most likely source for the outbreak. The possibility of contaminated water causing GBS cases should be concerning to devotees participating in the ongoing Mahakumbh in



Prayagraj.

GBS is an auto-immune disease that can develop after viral or bacterial infection. When the body is infected, then the immune system produces antibodies to kill the bacteria. However, in a fraction of patients, the immune system malfunctions and attacks the body’s own nervous system, causing Gullean-Barre Syndrome.