Tamil Nadu reports 518 black fungus cases, 136 of them in Chennai

A multi-specialty clinic for black fungus was on Tuesday inaugurated at Chennai’s Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital consisting of ENT, Ophthalmology, and Internal Medicine doctors.

A doctor checking a patient at the newly inaugurated multi-specialty clinic for mucormycosis at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. (Photo| Ashwin Prasath, EPS)

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has reported 518 cases and 17 deaths related to mucormycosis (black fungus), a notified fungal disease infecting people across the country.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian, who inaugurated a multi-specialty clinic for mucormycosis at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, said out of 518 black fungus cases, 136 were from Chennai.

“The source of infection is not ascertained. Some say it is because of excessive use of steroids but doctors abroad say they also used steroids but did not report any cases of black fungus,” the Health Minister said.

He did not rule out the possibility of this fungus coming from contaminated water or the industrial oxygen supply lines. “The 13 member task force for mucormycosis will find the source of this infection,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, the Multi-speciality black fungus clinic at the RGGGH has specialists from Ophthalmology, ENT, and Internal Medicine. “This type of clinic will be opened in all the government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu,” the Minister said.

A digital monitor displaying the Covid patient’s health status was inaugurated at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. During the event, HR and CE Minister PK Sekar Babu and Hospital Dean Dr. E Theranirajan were also present.