Total 41 confirmed black fungus cases in state, toll up at 12

RANCHI: The deadly Mucormycosis (black fungus) was rapidly spreading in Jharkhand that has so far reported 91 cases, including 41 confirmed cases, and 12 deaths from 18 districts so far. The state on Wednesday discovered five new patients of the fungal infection, including two confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, three patients affected with black fungus were discharged on Wednesday.

The disease has made its presence in 18 out of the 24 districts in the state with the maximum 27 cases concentrated in capital city Ranchi alone. It was closely followed by East Singhbhum district, with its headquarters in Jamshedpur, which reported a total of 15 cases. The two districts together make up over 46% of the state’s total cases. The discovery of larger number of mucormycosis cases in these two districts can be due to the fact that the state’s 40% of Covid-19 caseload were in these districts.

Besides, Ramgarh discovered seven cases, Hazaribagh and Giridih reported six cases each, Garhwa registered five cases and Palamu unearthed four cases. Koderma, Godda, Dhanbad and Chatra reported three cases each, and Bokaro and Gumla reported two cases each.

Five districts--Deoghar,

Dumka, Jamtara, Latehar and Sahibganj--reported one case each.

Mucormycosis, that was rapidly popping up across the state as a post-Covid-19 complication, has posed multiple challenges for health mandarins. “This rare disease is occurring in some Covid-19 patients due to poor immune power, uncontrolled diabetes and most importantly due to undergoing steroid therapy during treatment of coronavirus infection. The biggest challenge is the early detection and timely treatment of mucormycosis infection. Delay in treatment will prove fatal. As soon as patient complains of pain in any of these areas--face, nose, eye-he/she should get a CT scan or MRI done,” said Dr Pradeep Bhattacharya, in-charge of Covid-19 centre at RIMS.

He added that unavailability of medicine was another big challenge. “The vital medicine for this fungal infection is Liposomal Amphotericin B-50mg injection. A patient infected with mucormycosis requires six vials a day. In open market, this injection costs around ₹6,000 per vial,” Dr Bhattacharya said.

On May 31, the Centre allocated 70 vials of the injection to the state.

Head of RIMS ENT department Chandrakant Birua said, “The treatment of this infection continues for a large span of time, up to around one month.”

Birua added, “The hospital has currently 20-22 patients of mucormycosis. Earlier, there was shortage of the above injection. But, presently it is available for all patients.”

Looking into the rapid spread of mucormycosis across the country, the Centre earlier on May 19 wrote to states, asking them to make mucormycosis a notifiable disease under Epidemic Disease Act, 1897. The move was aimed at ensuring that all government and private health facilities will follow guidelines for screening, diagnosis and management of the disease issued by the Union ministry of health and family welfare and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The health department has initiated the process and moved the file to higher authorities for approval. The government, however, was yet to notify the disease under the aforesaid Act.