HUBBALLI/BELAGAVI: Three suspected mucormycosis or black fungus deaths came to light in the State on Sunday. While a 40-year-old man is said to have succumbed to the fungal infection in Hubballi, two more deaths have been reported from Belagavi district. In Hubballi, a 40-year-old man allegedly died due to suspected mucormycosis at the city’s KIMS Hospital on Saturday night.
The man had recently recovered from Covid-19. The doctors, however, are yet to declare the death as caused due to black fungus. KIMS Hospital is one of the designated centres in the State to treat black fungus cases. There are more than 80 patients from various districts and from neighbouring states getting treated for the fungal infection at the hospital.
The hospital has been witnessing black fungus cases for the last 2-3 weeks. Four patients successfully recovered from the infection and were recently discharged. Like other hospitals in the State, KIMS Hospital also faces shortage of medicines to treat Mucormycosis. On Saturday, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar visited KIMS Hospital and assured of supplying the required drugs to the institute.
An attendant of a patient told The New Indian Express that his father had recovered from Covid-19 and discharged two weeks ago.
“He was admitted to KIMS again on Thursday for black fungus treatment. He was not given the drug to fight the infection. When asked, doctors said that the hospital had no stock of the drug. I checked with a private hospital and they said each injection will cost Rs 45,000 and nine such injections are required. It is not affordable for a middle-class person like me,” he added. Meanwhile, in Belagavi district, Dr SV Muniyal, district health and family welfare of f icer, said that while one person succumbed in Athani, another person died in Gokak. He said both were aged above 70. Dr Muniyal said doctors have identified seven cases of black fungus in the district. Also, two cases of white fungus have also been reported in the district, he said.
What is mucormycosis...
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines mucormycosis “as a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes. These molds live throughout the environment. Mucormycosis mainly affects people who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness. It most commonly affects the sinuses or the lungs after inhaling fungal spores from the air. It can also occur on the skin after a cut, burn, or other types of skin injury”.
‘Treatment at all government hospitals’
The State Government has issued a circular on mucormycosis treatment to be extended to all government hospitals, government medical colleges and district hospitals. Also, patients should be treated in taluk hospitals based on the facilities at the hospitals.