With 153 cases in a day, Black Fungus (Mucormycosis) has been declared an epidemic in the national capital. It was declared a notifiable disease in Delhi under the Epidemic Act, 1897 on Thursday. Lately, cases of infection in Delhi have been on the rise.
While on May 21, Delhi had a total of 200 cases of Black Fungus, the number of the infection witnessed a steep rise and reached 620 on May 26. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar are other states to have declared the infection as an epidemic disease.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Central government to consider a complete waiver of import duties of the drug Amphotericin B, used to treat Black Fungus, for a limited period till the scarcity of drug is resolved in the country.
A government notification released on Thursday said “the Lt Governor of NCT of Delhi is satisfied that the NCT of Delhi is threatened with the outbreak of a dangerous epidemic disease, namely mucormycosis, among immune-compromised patients, especially COVID-19 patients being treated with steroids and that the ordinary provision of law for the time being in force are insufficient for the purpose”.
The Delhi Epidemic Diseases (Mucormycosis) Regulations, 2021, to be valid for a year from the date of publication, states all healthcare facilities, government or private, will report each and every suspected or confirmed cases of black fungus in the national capital to the city health department through a medical superintendent or medical director or hospital in-charge or chief district medical officer of the district concerned.
All healthcare facilities in Delhi will follow guidelines for screening, diagnosis, and management of black fungus issued by the Health Ministry, according to the regulations.
“No person or institution or organisation will spread any information or material for the management of black fungus without prior permission of the health department,” the new regulation stated.
Mucormycosis or black fungus is more common among people whose immunity has got lowered due to Covid, diabetes, kidney disease, liver or cardiac disorders, age-related issues, or those on medication for auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
(Agency inputs included)