2023-07-12 22:05:01
By Anne Prigent
Posted 4 hours ago, Just Updated
A nurse examines patients suspected of having Guillain-Barré syndrome on Tuesday in Lima (Peru). ULAN/Pool/Latin America News Agency via Reuters Connect
The number of cases of this rare neurological disease has increased fivefold in the country. It most often follows an infection. It remains to be seen which one.
Saturday July 8, Peru declared a state of health emergency for ninety days. The reason ? A five-fold increase in recent weeks in the number of cases of a usually rare neurological disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome, which in the worst case can lead to death. Since the beginning of the year, nearly 200 cases have been reported in the country, including 96 in the past four weeks. Four people have died and 31 are still in intensive care, according to data from the Peruvian Ministry of Health.
Guillain-Barré syndrome is caused by a dysfunction of the immune system which attacks the peripheral nerves by destroying the myelin sheath that surrounds them. It results in muscle weakness that can lead to paralysis of the limbs, or even breathing difficulties when the chest muscles are affected.. « One in three patients will need respiratory assistance », explains Professor Nicolas Weiss, neurologist at the…
This article is for subscribers only. You have 80% left to discover.
Want to read more?
Unlock all items immediately.
Already subscribed? Login
#Peru #health #emergency #face #epidemic #GuillainBarré #syndrome