Black fungus rise in various states; Union health ministry list out DOs and DON’Ts

Health & Environment

Patients with high blood sugar level should be on alert, experts warned declaring that the black fungus infection can happen without Covid which has caused a sharp rise of the cases of mucormycosis. The disease is being detected among patients who are recovering or have recovered from Covid-19.

Niti Aayog (health) member Dr VK Paul said, “blood sugar level when reaches to 700-800, a situation medically known as diabetic ketoacidosis, makes the attack of black fungus among children or older people very vulnerable to the infection,” while explaining the severity of diabetes to black fungus infection.

Gujarat government officials said nearly 900 black fungus growth cases have been reported in the previous month with a larger part of them conceded in the past fortnight.

Meanwhile, MP has detailed 281 instances of mucormycosis in the previous week. On Sunday, the total number of black fungus cases in Haryana peaked with 398 cases, with Gurugram reporting 147 cases. Kerala reported four black fungus deaths, while Uttarakhand has declared it as an epidemic.

Also, Rajasthan has reported over 23 cases of black fungus in the past 24 hours and Bihar has so far reported 32 cases of black fungus with 22 of them admitted in AIIMS,Patna.

Also read: #DelhiUnlockPlan: Amid Black Fungus challenge, will Delhi CM extend lockdown?

With cases of mucormycosis or black fungus infection, rising with such speed the Union health ministry has issued a list of dos and don’ts for recovered Covid patients while answering to some common questions about the infection who could be experiencing the symptoms, speaking in a separate press statement.

DOs
Control hyperglycemia.
Monitor blood glucose level post Covid discharge & in diabetics.
Use steroids judiciously.
Use clear, sterile water for humidifiers during oxygen therapy.
Use antibiotics or anti fungal judiciously.

DON’Ts
Don’t miss warning signs & symptoms.
Don’t consider all cases of blocked nose as cases of bacterial sinusitis, especially in the cases of immunosuppression and Covid patients on immunomodulators.
Don’t hesitate in seeking aggressive investigation as appropriate for detecting fungal ethology.
Don’t lose crucial time to initiate treatment for mucormycosis.