After more than 2000 cases of black fungus, Gujarat on May 20 announced the fungal infection as an epidemic under the provision of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1857 as per the TOI report. Government sources say so far over 250 deaths have been directly attributed to it in the state.?
The decision was reached by the COVID core committee chaired by CM Vijay Rupani. Earlier, the Union Health Ministry had asked the states to cover mucormycosis, as it is known scientifically, under the Epidemic Diseases Act in a letter. States such as Rajasthan and Telangana had already put it in the epidemic category.
What does the inclusion change for the treatment? A senior state health department official told TOI that the treatment protocol must be followed from top to bottom. ¡°The screening, diagnosis, treatment and overall management of the fungal infection would now be carried out according to the guidelines set by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR),¡± said the official. ¡°Moreover, like Covid-19, the data on the suspected and confirmed patients would be sent to the Union Ministry daily.¡±?
Experts said that after Covid-19, the fungal infection has emerged as a major health threat primarily for those who got recovered from the viral infection. ¡°It enters the sinuses or oral cavity through any opening in the skin and starts proliferating rapidly. Earlier seen rarely among diabetic patients, this time the numbers have hit the roof due to the lowered immunity of Covid patients, coupled with aggravated sugar levels,¡± said Dr Devang Gupta, a city-based ENT surgeon.?
The letter by the Union Health Ministry mentioned that the treatment needs a multi-disciplinary approach that includes specialists from the eye, ENT, general surgery, neurology and maxillofacial surgeons.?
¡°Apart from diabetes and high use of steroids, the oral and nasal hygiene of Covid-19 patients remained an issue, primarily when the number of patients was very high in the past few days. We also urge the citizens not to take steroids without prescription for Covid-19 treatment,¡± said Dr Neeraj Suri, an ENT surgeon with Gandhinagar Civil Hospital.?