Over 3,000 affected by Black Fungus, 122 fatalities in TN: Minister

Chennai: Tamil Nadu has reported 3,300 black fungus cases and 122 related deaths so far, state minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian said on Tuesday and appealed to the people to seek medical advice on time for early treatment.

Owing to the increase in the cases across the state, the government has established special wards to treat those infected with black fungus, also known as Mucormycosis, at the government medical college hospitals and district headquarters hospitals.

"About 3,300 persons in Tamil Nadu have been affected due to black fungus and 122 have died due to the fungal infection," he said.

The drugs required to treat the patients in private hospitals would be provided directly to them, like in the case of supply of the anti-viral drug Remdesivir, he added.

"We have established special wards with a total bed strength of 7,000 including 500 each in Chennai and Madurai.

I appeal to the people to seek medical advice in the initial stage and get treated early," Subramanian said.

He was addressing reporters here after attending a slew of programmes including dedicating oxygen concentrators to government hospital and a covid vaccination camp for journalists.

The minister further said Tamil Nadu has adequate stock of Amphotericin-B and Posaconazole tablets, the drugs used to treat black fungus infection - a

notified fungal disease which is affecting the people across the country.

"Yes, the disease affects the eyes in the initial stages and then the brain leading to deaths," he said when his attention was drawn to the issue of 30 persons losing their vision due to Mucormycosis.