5,424 cases of black fungus from across states: Centre

Doctors suspect that the sudden surge in mucormycosis may be linked to the rapid use of steroids to treat Covid patients

NEW DELHI India has 5424 cases of Mucormycosis or black fungus, a life-threatening infection, prevailing in Covid-19 patients or those in recently recovered from the viral disease, Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Monday during the meeting with a Group of ministers on the coronavirus pandemic, news agency ANI reported.

All these cases have been reported from 18 states and Union territories, the health minister also said, adding, out of the total, 4556 patients have a history of Covid-19 infection and 55% of them had diabetes, as per the ANI report.

With Covid-19 cases now below record levels, doctors in India are battling with the black fungus epidemic. The infection attacks the immune system of the patient and most likely to have fatal results in patients with comorbidity like diabetes.

Mucormycosis is caused by exposure to mucor mold, which is commonly found in soil, air and even in the nose and mucus of humans. It spreads through the respiratory tract and erodes facial structures. Sometimes, doctors have to surgically remove the eye to stop the infection from reaching the brain.

Doctors are suspecting that the sudden surge in mucormycosis may be linked to the rapid use of steroids to treat Covid-19 patients. Mucormycosis has a high mortality rate, however, it is not contagious but its frequency in the last month has left doctors worried.

On Saturday, Union minister DV Sadananda Gowda announced an allocation of 23,680 additional vials of Amphotericin-b, a key drug to treat the raging infection amid complaints by many chief ministers

regarding the shortage.

India’s death toll from Covid-19 crossed 300,000 as the number of daily fatalities hovered above 4000. The country’s Covid-19 tally, meanwhile, has increased to 26,752,447 after 222,315 positive cases were detected in the 24-hour period.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday declared black fungus (Mucormycosis) an epidemic and directed health facilities and medical colleges to follow the guidelines for its management.

According to the notification, all the government and private health facilities and medical colleges are required to follow the guidelines for screening, diagnosis and management of the disease issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare , Indian Council of Medical Research and J&K government as amended from time to time.