States raise shortage of anti-fungal medicine

NEW DELHI: Amid a surge in cases of mucormycosis (black fungus), the governments of West Bengal and Haryana on Friday alerted the Centre about the shortage of Amphotericin-b -- an anti-fungal drug used to treat the infection. So far, 11 states have declared black fungus as an epidemic under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

The fungal infection, which some doctors have blamed on the high use of steroids to combat Covid-19, kills more than 50% of patients within days.

On Friday, Haryana health minister Anil Vij sounded an alarm over the shortage of Amphotericin-b, adding that a global tender is being floated to import the medicine at the earliest. “The disease called black fungus has come to fore recently due to which there is a shortage of its medicine,” he said.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, too, highlighted the shortage.

“The medicines are not being made available to us. The Centre procures these medicines,” she said. So far, the state has reported four cases.

Under the epidemic act, all states will have to report all confirmed or suspected cases of this condition, seen in recovering Covid-19 patients, to the health ministry.

During a meeting to review the pandemic situation on Friday, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan, too, expressed concern over the spread of the rare fungal infection.

“Rising number of Black Fungus (mucormycosis ) cases is a concern. Now we are ramping up the production of drug used for the treatment of the disease. Every state has been asked to put black fungus in the notified list.”

The central government on Thursday told the Delhi high court that as on May 19, there were 7.251 cases of mucormycosis in India.

Among the states and union territories that have notified the fungal infection as an epidemic are: Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Maharashtra, Telangana.

Over the past 24 hours, first black fungus cases have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Union chemicals minister Sadananda Gowda said that five more manufacturers have been given licenses to manufacture Amphotericin-b.