Jaipur: The Rajasthan government on Wednesday declared Mucormycosis (black fungus), which is primarily affecting people recovering from COVID as an epidemic in the State.
Currently, the state has around 100 black fungus patients.
According to a notification issued by state’s Principal Health Secretary Akhil Arora, Mucormycosis has been notified as an epidemic and a notifiable disease in the state under the Rajasthan Epidemic Act 2020.
According to experts, people with diabetes are more prone to getting black fungus infection.
Many people recovering from COVID-19 have of late been afflicted by black fungus – or mucormycosis – disease. The fungus invades the sinus and makes its way into the intraorbital and intracranial regions. If its progression is not checked early, 50-80% of patients could die.
Mucormycosis is a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called ‘Mucormycetes’. Mucormycetes live throughout the environment and is ubiquitous in nature. It can affect areas from where it can be inhaled—through the nose/ sinus/ lungs. If it enters from a wound or skin, then it can cause local infection, but if it enters from the sinus, it can affect the eyes and the brain. Poor control of diabetes is the biggest cause for the rising numbers, especially post-Covid. Also, patients with immunocompromised systems, or those who have undergone a transplant, are on immunosuppressants, or have been on a ventilator for a long period of time, are at higher risk.
On Tuesday, Rajasthan recorded 146 deaths and 8,398 positive cases of the coronavirus, taking the death toll to 7,080 and the infection tally to 8,79,664. Jaipur reported the highest number of 35 deaths, followed by 12 each in Jodhpur and Bikaner, according to an official report.
