14-Day-Old Operated In Agra After Symptoms Of Black Fungus; Centre Says 28,252 Cases Reported So Far

About 28,252 cases of Mucormycosis or black fungus have been reported from 28 states and UTs Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

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Agra: A newborn who showed symptoms of black fungus or Mucormycosis was operated on successfully by doctors at Sarojini Naidu Medical College (SNMC) in Agra. The baby had kidney and heart problems and was underweight when she was admitted to the hospital, but there were no symptoms of Covid.

The newborn is now out of danger and has been shifted to neonatal ICU of the paediatric department and is under observation. 

According to an IANS report, Akhilesh Pratap Singh, head of the ENT Department said that the 14-day-old baby girl had a black spot and blister on her left cheek when she was admitted to the hospital on Saturday evening. After the operation, the fungal infection was removed.

According to Singh, there has been one death due to black fungus at SNMC while four others died due to suspected infection so far. Currently, 32 patients are being treated for black fungus at the hospital while eight others are under evaluation, he further informed according to IANS.

Centre reports on black fungus

About 28,252 cases of Mucormycosis or black fungus have been reported from 28 states and UTs, with a majority of them having been reported in Maharashtra and Gujarat, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday according to an ANI report.

"Out of these, 86 per cent (24,370 cases) have a history of Covid-19 infection and 62.3 per cent (17,601) have a history of diabetes. Maharashtra has reported the maximum number of Mucormycosis cases (6,339) followed by Gujarat (5,486)," he was quoted as saying. 

Study reveals possible reasons of mucormycosis 

Earlier, a first evidence-based multi-centre study on mucormycosis (black fungus) was conducted in India, the doctors at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) said on June 5th that uncontrolled diabetes and improper use of steroid were the major factors for its emergence according to an IANS report. However, they said the study could not look into the role of the Covid-19 virus in causing immunity disturbance leading to mucormycosis.

The prevalence of Covid associated mucormycosis (CAM) was 0.27 per cent in patients managed in hospital wards and 1.6 per cent in patients managed in ICUs. There was a 2.1-fold rise in mucormycosis cases during 2020 in India compared to 2019 and the research suggests that this increase is attributable to the pandemic. The mortality of the mucormycosis is much higher than Covid-19 infection. An early diagnosis and prompt management may save the patient.