Woman, 35, being treated for black fungus at SKIMS; disease kills 2,100 in India in last 3 weeks

Monitor News Desk

Srinagar: The doctors at SK Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar are treating a patient hit with Mucormycosis (Black Fungus) after recovering from Covid-19, officials said on Saturday.

Quoting a health official news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reported that a 35-year-old female from Udhampur who had recovered from Covid-19 showed symptoms of Mucormycosis including bilateral eye swelling and acute pain on left side and greenish discharge from her nose.

He said that patient was recently diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Patient was initially admitted in Udhampur, the official said.

“The patient went to Chandigarh for further treatment, where after brain MRI, she was treated for Mucormycosis but didn’t recover,” he said.

The patient was eventually admitted at SKIMS on June 04 and her brain MRI showed Mucormycosis which involves nose, orbit and frontal lobe of brain known as rhino-orbital cerebral Mucormycosis.

He said that patient has now developed proptosis in left eye and has lost vision in left eye for which ENT consultation has been done and biopsy was also taken.

“Doctors are planning for neurosurgery and ENT consultation today for debridement,” the official said.

Notably, 18 cases of Mucormycosis or Black Fungus have been already confirmed in Jammu and Kashmir.

In addition, there are 8 suspected cases and so far 4 patients have died in the UT.

The disease that has a mortality rate of 50% and is increasingly being seen in recovering Covid-19 patients in the country, has grown over 150 per cent over the last three weeks

The various parts of the country reported 31,216 cases and 2,109 deaths due to black fungus in the last three weeks. The increase in numbers is partly due to the severe shortage of the key drug – Amphotericin-B – which his used for its treatment, NDTV reported on Friday.

With 7,057 cases and 609 deaths, Maharashtra tops the list of worst affected states. Gujarat is a close second with 5,418 cases and 323 deaths. Rajasthan is third with 2,976 cases. On May 25 Maharashtra had reported only 2,770 cases of black fungus and Gujarat had reported 2,859 cases.

A total of 17 patients have died due to mucormycosis or black fungus in Chhattisgarh so far, while 11 others suffering from this deadly infection succumbed due to different health factors, an official said. Till Wednesday, the state reported 276 black fungus cases, the official said. (KNO)

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