Indore Water Contamination: Woman Critical With Guillain-Barre–Like Symptoms, Administration Dismisses Reports

Indore: A 67-year-old woman from Bhagirathpura, the worst-affected area in Indore’s drinking water contamination crisis, is fighting for her life after developing serious neurological symptoms, raising fresh concerns over the impact of the outbreak on residents.

The woman, Parvati Kondla, was first admitted to a local hospital where doctors, based on initial test reports, indicated symptoms resembling Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), according to an official of a private hospital where she is currently undergoing treatment in critical condition. The official said further examinations later revealed that she was also suffering from a brain stroke, and treatment is being administered after assessing all her symptoms.

Even as the woman remains in a critical condition, the district administration has dismissed reports of any confirmed GBS cases in Bhagirathpura. Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani said no hospital or doctor in the area had officially reported a GBS case so far.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a rare but serious neurological disorder in which the immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system. It can lead to muscle weakness, numbness and, in severe cases, breathing difficulties.

Meanwhile, families in the affected area continue to raise questions about deaths linked to the outbreak. A man has claimed that his 69-year-old relative, Omprakash Sharma, died after developing severe diarrhoea following the consumption of contaminated drinking water in Bhagirathpura. The administration has rejected any direct link between the death and the outbreak.

Omprakash Sharma, a retired police constable from Dhar district, died on Sunday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital. His relative, Abhishek Sharma, said Omprakash had visited Bhagirathpura a few days earlier and developed diarrhoea symptoms late on December 30. Due to severe dehydration, he was admitted to the intensive care unit and later placed on life support, but his condition deteriorated.

The CMHO said hospital records showed that Omprakash had been admitted before the diarrhoea outbreak intensified in Bhagirathpura on December 29 and pointed to pre-existing health conditions, including hypertension and kidney disease. He said the family would be provided assistance by the state government and that further details had been sought from the hospital.

While officials have so far confirmed six deaths linked to the outbreak, the toll remains contested. Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava has stated that ten deaths have occurred, while local residents claim the number is significantly higher, alleging that at least 16 people, including a six-month-old child, lost their lives during the crisis.