A 53-year-old patient succumbs to Mucormycosis, commonly known as Black Fungus at Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh, said hospital officials on Friday.
“Patient who came from Lakhimpur had post-COVID symptoms. We got him tested for black fungus and the report came positive. He succumbed to the disease two days after a six-hour-long successful operation. He was admitted for 15 days in our hospital,” said Dr Sanjiv Kakati, Assam Medical College Principal.
He further said that this was the first case but people need to be alert.
“This is important that it is detected at the initial stage and for that people need to be alert,” he added.
Mucormycosis or black fungus is a complication caused by a fungal infection. People catch mucormycosis by coming in contact with the fungal spores in the environment. It can also develop on the skin after the fungus enters the skin through a cut, scrape, burn, or other types of skin trauma, as per the Union Health Ministry.
The disease is being detected among patients who are recovering or have recovered from COVID-19. Moreover, anyone who is diabetic and whose immune system is not functioning well needs to be on the guard against this.
Looking at the rising cases of Mucormycosis or ‘black fungus’, the Union Health Ministry had last month said the availability of Amphotericin-B, the key drug to treat the deadly disease, is now being increased and the ministry is in touch with five additional manufacturers.
Several states including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have declared it a ‘notifiable’ disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, thereby making it mandatory to report every mucormycosis case to the state government. (ANI)
