The Union Health Ministry has asked all the states and Union Territories (UTs) to declare mucormycosis or black fungus as a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897, following a few of them doing so already.
The Ministry has also advised that all government and private health facilities, as well as medical colleges, should follow guidelines issued by it and the ICMR on screening, diagnosis and management of mucormycosis.
The Ministry said 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. Mucormycosis can also develop on the skin after the fungus enters the skin through a cut, scrape, burn, or other types of skin trauma.
According to the ministry, the disease is being detected among patients who are recovering or have recovered from Covid-19. it has also infected several people in the national capital as it is caused by the steroid administered in the treatment of coronavirus.
Cases of black fungus have been reported in various parts of the country including Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Bihar, while states like Rajsthan and Haryana have declared it as Epidemic.
On May 18, the Haryana government also framed regulations called, "The Haryana Epidemic Diseases (Mucormycosis) Regulations, 2021".
Telangana issues guidelines
The Telangana government has declared fungal infection mucormycosis as a notifiable disease under Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 and directed all the government and private health facilities to follow guidelines for screening, diagnosis and management of mucormycosis as per the advisory issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Indian Council of Medical Research.
In a notification issued by the state Director of Public Health, it has been made mandatory for all the government and private health facilities to report all suspected and confirmed cases of mucormycosis (also known as black fungus) to the health department. All government and private hospitals have been asked to comply with the guidelines and send a daily report.
The move comes amid the growing number of cases of black fungus, mostly seen in Covid-19 survivors. Many patients are approaching the Government-run ENT Hospital at Koti in Hyderabad, which has been designated to treat the fungal infection.
In view of the shortage of medicine for the treatment of mucormycosis, the health authorities have regulated its sale.
State Minister K. T. Rama Rao has received several requests on Twitter from relatives of black fungus-infected persons for Liposomal Amphotericin B Injection and asked them to send an email to the Director of Medical Education in the prescribed format.
Director of Medical Education K. Ramesh Reddy said that there are around 50 Mucromycosis cases at government hospitals and another 30-40 in private hospitals and clarified that the disease is not contagious like Covid-19 and advised people not to panic.
Diabetes Patients
He said those who have recovered from Covid-19 and have diabetes should be more cautious. "Patients must lookout for symptoms such as facial muscle pains, bloody discharge from the nose, cold, and brown discolouration or spores in mucus," Reddy said.
The Director of Medical Education said Covid-19 patients who have recovered still need to wear masks even at home for few months. Recovered patients, especially immune-compromised ones, will have low immunity levels and thus will be vulnerable to fungal infection.
