Recorded 197 black fungus cases in hosps: Health Min

New Delhi: Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said there were 197 cases of black fungus in hospitals across Delhi till Wednesday night, including non-residents who have come to the city for treatment.

There were 197 cases of black fungus across all hospitals in Delhi till Wednesday night. These included patients who have come from other states for treatment, he told reporters.

And as Mucormycosis cases keep emerging at a fast rate, reported data showed that the city had lost as many as 12 patients to the disease in just the last week — 8 of them at AIIMS here and the others at hospitals such as Sir Ganga Ram and Moolchand hospitals.

Moreover, even on Friday evening, hospitals reported scores of new admissions of patients suffering from the disease, with senior government officials putting the total tally of cases in the city well above 200. They have also said that at least over 100 patients had succumbed to the disease so far in the city.

While the infection had surfaced last year in Covid recovered patients, this year, it has struck many more patients.

Jain said there is an acute shortage of Amphotericin-B injections used in the treatment of black fungus or mucormycosis in the entire country and that the Centre is likely to provide 2,000 injections to Delhi, which will then be given to hospitals.

In addition, the Delhi government has also set up a system to control the distribution and administration of this drug in hospitals, according to which hospitals must apply for the drug to treat the infection in only Covid patients to a committee, which approves the request and then sends the allocation of the drug to the respective hospital.

But many doctors are now saying that patients without Covid may also develop the infection and they too would need the medicine.

He cautioned COVID-19 patients against taking steroids without doctor's advice.

This is very dangerous. A patient's immunity becomes zero when he/she takes steroids. Black fungus, which is found in soil or decaying matter inside homes, doesn't affect healthy people. Chances of infection are more in those with low immunity, he said.

People who have been on steroids should take care of these things. They should exercise caution, not get out of home or meet people for at least a week, the minister said.

It is imperative to control blood sugar levels. Any virus, fungus or bacteria multiplies rapidly when blood sugar level increases in the body, he said.

It is better to take precautions because black fungus is hard to cure, Jain added.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on Thursday said the city government will declare black fungus an epidemic if need arises.

He had also said dedicated centres will be set up for treatment of mucormycosis

at three city government-run hospitals, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital.