India: ADD outbreak in Uttara Kannada district

Karnataka health authorities stepped up surveillance in Uttara Kannada district after an acute diarrhea disease (ADD) outbreak among pilgrims returning from Maharashtra. The affected pilgrims shared accommodation premises and used water from a common tank. At present, 61 persons have reported diarrhea and are being treated in hospital. Officials are closely monitoring their condition because they suspect some of them may also have contracted Guillan-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in Maharashtra. GBS is a rare neurological condition, and it is often triggered by respiratory or gastrointestinal infections. However, none of the ill pilgrims have reported symptoms of GBS. In a video conference with health experts and surveillance officers, Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary of Health, said there was no reason to panic and that the number of reported cases remained stable. He also remarked that all reported cases of ADD were of the non-fulminating kind that is less aggressive in nature. He asked hospitals to continue to monitor patients to spot eventual GBS cases. Ansar Ahmed, Project Director of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), said all the district health authorities have been directed to intensify surveillance and report any possible clustering of ADD cases to the IDSP and the State Surveillance Unit (SSU). He also stated that all recovered cases are being followed up for signs of GBS.