32 die of black fungus at Indore hospital in 20 days

Indore, June 2: As many as 32 patients have died of mucormycosis in the last 20 days at a governmentrun hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore city, an official said on Wednesday. Of late, several cases of mucormycosis, also known as the black fungus, a serious infection, have been found in people who have recovered from Covid-19.

The Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) in the state’s industrial hub Indore has been treating a number of black fungus patients not only from here, but also from various other districts.

“The first patient of black fungus was admitted in the MYH on May 13 and since then, a total of 439 patients have been admitted till now in the hospital. Out of them, 84 people were discharged after treatment, while 32 patients have died so far,” MYH superintendent Pramendra Thakur said.

The present black fungus mortality rate in the hospital is 7.29 per cent, he said, claiming that the fatality rate was lower than other hospitals in the state. “We have carried out more than 200 surgeries in the last 20 days to save the lives of patients suffering from the fungus,” he said.

At present, 323 patients are undergoing treatment for the fungal infection in the hospital, the official said. Out of them, 14 contracted the fungal infection along with Covid-19, while 301 people got mucormycosis after recovering from Covid-19, he said.

The eight other patients suffering from the black fungus have no record of contracting Covid-19, he informed. The statistics show that 93 per cent of the patients contracted the black fungus after recovering from Covid-19. —

black that unless all the culprits involved in the attack are arrested by 7 am on Wednesday, all doctors of Hojai would boycott all out-patient duty services.

It also asked the government to provide all hospitals and CCCs with security cover, CCTV cameras and round the clock electricity. “Instructions have been given to superintendent of police Hojai to arrest all persons involved in the assault,” the special Director General of Police G.P. Singh said.

The Indian Medical Association wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah, stating that there was a “barbaric attack yesterday…and it was an extremely inhuman attack”, and requested for “immediate strict action on culprits”.

Meanwhile, the Assam State Branch of the IMA on Wednesday called for all doctors in the state to abstain from outdoor patient services. The body has demanded that all culprits be booked immediately and there should be a speedy trial.