A 64-year-old farmer from Nippani in Belagavi district is suspected to have died of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in Maharashtra on Monday.

GBS is a rare neurological condition that occurs when the immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system. It is often triggered by respiratory or gastrointestinal infections.

Farmer Yetil Balagonda Patil from Donewadi near Nippani died at Tripti Pramilaraje Hospital in Kolhapur.

He was admitted to the hospital a week ago. But he could not be saved, officers said. A final report is expected from the Maharashtra government, they said.

Meanwhile, Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Harsh Gupta said that it is still not a confirmed case of GBS. “The private hospital has declared it as a suspected case,” he said.

State Project Director, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), Ansar Ahmed has said that the death could not be attributed to the current GBS outbreak in Pune.

“As per our information, the farmer developed pain and tingling sensation in his limbs on February 7. Our epidemiologist from Belagavi, who visited the Kolhapur hospital, told us that the farmer developed paralysis of his rightside and his death was sudden. He had no other respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. This does not look like a GBS case,” Mr. Ahmed said.

Pointing out that there have been several regular non-fulminating GBS deaths in Karnataka so far, the official said that this is not the first, even if confirmed. “The current Pune cases are fulminating type which are very fast in progression and also have a high mortality rate. We are awaiting more details,” he said.

“Also, the farmer is not among the 110 pilgrims from Yellapur and Haliyal taluks in Uttara Kannada who returned from Pandharpur in Maharashtra. There have been recent reports of suspected GBS cases in Pandharpur and we have intensified surveillance following an outbreak of acute diarrheal disease (ADD) in these taluks,” the official said.

The pilgrims from Yellapur and Haliyal taluks had stayed in the same community hall from where the suspected cases have been reported. They had used water from the common overhead tank, officials said.