Health department issues guidelines on black fungus
Kolkata: State health department has issued an advisory on Mucormycosis, commonly known as black fungus, and also warned that it may turn fatal for patients if they remain untreated.
As per the government advisory, Mucormycosis is a fungal infection that mainly affects people who are on medication for other health problems that reduce their ability to fight environmental pathogens. Sinus or lungs of such individuals get affected after fungal spores are inhaled from the air, reads the advisory.
It was learnt from the sources in the Health department that the state government may demarcate a hospital in the city for exclusively treating patients suffering from Mucormycosis. There are some plans to utilise SSKM Hospital or the School of Tropical Medicine for the dedicated treatment.
Bengal has registered the death of a 32-year-old woman on Thursday who is suspected to have died due to black fungus. The Health department has constituted a 20-member team to ascertain the cause. This team will monitor black fungus treatment and will make necessary recommendations. It will submit a report to the Swasthya Bhawan after examining the details of her treatment. Primary evidence suggests that the woman, Shampa Chakraborty, a resident of Haridevpur, might have died due to black fungus as she had similar symptoms. She was admitted to Sambhunath Pandit Hospital on May 15 with Covid.
The Health department said this can lead to serious disease. One has to be careful and should consult doctors if he/she complains of pain and redness around the eyes and nose along with fever, headache, coughing, shortness of breath, blood vomiting and altered mental status.
Those who have uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, comorbidities — post-transplant/malignancy are susceptible to be attacked by black fungus. Prolonged ICU stay of a patient, voriconazole therapy or immunosuppression by steroids may also cause it.
The advisory said people have to wear masks properly and special emphasis must be given when visiting dusty construction sites. People are advised to wear shoes, long trousers, long-sleeve shirts and gloves while handling soil (gardening) moss or manure. One has to maintain personal hygiene. A thorough scrub bath is recommended. Environmental cleanliness must be maintained and there should not be any exposure to decaying organic matters like bread, fruits, vegetables, soil, compost, excreta etc.
The Health department has also made a recommendation to the hospitals to form a team of doctors comprising radiodiagnosis expert, internal medicine specialist, infectious disease expert, specialist ENT, specialist neurologist, opthalmologist, dental surgeon, maxillofacial surgeon and endocrinologist to treat the patients affected with black fungus.
