Pune reports 270 black fungus cases so far; 4 new cases in MP

Around 270 cases of Mucormycosis, a rare but dangerous fungal infection, have been reported so far in Pune district, prompting a government task force to come up with a set of standard operating procedures (SOPS) for patient management in hospitals, officials said on Friday.

Symptoms of Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, include headache, fever, pain under the eyes, nasal or sinus congestion and partial loss of vision.

It affects the sinuses, the brain and the lungs and can be lifethreatening in people who are diabetic or have suppressed immunity.

Mucormycosis, whose treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach, has come in focus during the pandemic as it has been detected in some recovering and recovered coronavirus patients.

Saurabh Rao, Divisional Commissioner, Pune division, said so far around 270 cases have been reported in various hospitals in the district.

“Our divisional task force member Dr Bharat Purandare has come up with a detailed SOPS for management of Mucormycosis. The SOPS have been vetted by the task force,” he said.

“The SOPS have been issued to all hospitals in the state. We have asked hospitals to follow the guidelines mentioned in the SOPS,” the IAS officer said.

The SOPS contain details about clinical management, treatment protocols, patient management, surgical intervention and medication, Rao said.

Asked about fatality rate among Mucormycosis patients in Pune district, the senior bureaucrat said they are collat2021.earlier, ing data in this regard. It is a rare fungal infection. Before COVID-19 also, we used to see such cases, but their number was very low.

Meanwhile, four cases of Mucormycosis have been reported in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh in the last two days, a health official said on Friday.

Four patients with complaints of black fungus infection approached us. These are confirmed cases of black fungus, Dr Rakesh Rai, an ophthalmologist with the district hospital, said.

These patients have been sent to Nagpur, Jabalpur, Bhopal and Indore for treatment, he said.

District chief medical and health officer Dr Sangeeta Trivedi said that Amphotericin B 50 mg injection is needed to treat the black fungus injection, which is not available in Damoh right now. “Therefore, these four patients have been sent outside the district for treatment,” she added.

A number of cases of the fungal infection among COVID-19 patients have also been reported in neighbouring Maharashtra and Gujarat.

MUCORMYCOSIS AFFECTS THE SINUSES, THE BRAIN AND THE LUNGS AND CAN BE LIFE-THREATENING IN PEOPLE WHO ARE DIABETIC OR HAVE SUPPRESSED IMMUNITY