Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 24

Days after being declared a notified diseases in the state, 22 cases of black fungus have been reported in the district until today. At least two persons have also succumbed to the disease.

While there is a decrease in number of Covid cases reported daily in the district, mucormycosis (black fungus) is a new cause for concern among health experts. Its treatment is tricky as doctors claim that it is difficult to diagnose.

When the state government declared mucormycosis as a notified disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act on Wednesday, information from private hospitals regarding the disease was sought by the health authorities.

Until Saturday, barely seven cases were formally reported by the Health Department in Jalandhar but today the tally has been reported to be 22. Of these, four cases were reported today while the rest 18 were reported earlier. Among the two fatalities, both have been reported at various district private hospitals.

At the Jalandhar Civil Hospital, only one case of black fungus has been reported so far and the said patient was also referred to Amritsar for treatment. Of the 22 cases reported in the district, about 10 cases are from other districts and states.

District Family Welfare Officer Dr Raman Gupta said, “We are watching the situation closely. As many as 22 cases and two deaths have been reported in the district so far. One person from Ludhiana and another from Shahpur are among the deceased. Low immunity, high sugar, coupled with excessive steroid use are seen as the prime cause for the spread of the disease during the second wave of Covid. Low immunity and high steroid use especially in diabetic patients creates a favourable environment for the development of the fungus. Patients with high sugar and immuno-deficiencies are more prone to it. As a result, Amphotericin-B injections for anti-fungal treatment of the disease are in high demand and are presently being provided to hospitals by the government.”

Dr SPS Grover, MD, New Ruby Hospital, said, “One of the causes of relatively lesser cases of the virus being reported is the difficulty in diagnosis. Either a doctor does an MRI or gets a microscopic report of the secretions, both of which are difficult in critical patients. The secretions are also dry. On the other hand, conducting bronchoscopy for every black fungus suspect is also impossible. Hence, most of the cases are being detected on the basis of clinical diagnosis.”

While various private hospitals report a dramatic increase in black fungus cases, the official stats are relatively low. The district is now rationing Amphotericin-B supply on the lines of Remdesivir. Every hospital treating Covid is currently demanding the injections and its demand has surpassed the number of cases formally recorded in the district. The medicine being provided by the government is high on the priority list of every hospital and its stocks are also running short in the district.