New Delhi: The Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Friday suggested State governments to take necessary precautions to fight against increasing cases of Black Fungus (Mucormycosis).
Health Secretary Bhushan reviewed the present scenario that emerged following the increasing number of black fungus cases with government representatives from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka.
Friday’s meeting was a follow-up of the Health Secretary’s recent letter to Chief Secretaries and Administrators of all States and Union Territories regarding mucormycosis.
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In his letter, Bhushan urged them to undertake initiatives to ensure that there are robust infection prevention and control practices in Covid hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Health Ministry statistics said that 11,717 black fungus cases have been reported as of now from across India with Gujarat leading the list of states with a maximum number of cases (2,859), followed by Maharashtra 2,770, Andhra Pradesh 768, Madhya Pradesh 752 and Telangana 744.
The statistics said that except Tripura (1), no other states in the Northeast have reported any such cases.
The Union Health Ministry last week declared mucormycosis an epidemic under the "Epidemic Diseases Act".
Experts said that people with diabetes and sugar are prone to black fungus. Experts also believe that if authorities do not take proper steps, the virus might mutate in future and endanger children.
Talking to ETV Bharat, Dr Tamorish Kole, President of the Asian Society of Emergency Medicine said that during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India, mucormycosis, which is commonly known as 'black fungus', has become a public health emergency.
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Talking about the large number of cases being reported from a few states, Dr Kole said, “The exact cause is still not very clear and it can be multifactorial. Thus far, this surge has been attributed to the improper use of steroids to treat Covid-19 patients, coupled with poorly managed diabetes. India has a very high burden of diabetes. Covid and use of steroids need an extremely strict concomitant management of diabetes. This epidemic is also particularly worsened by the common practice of prescribing a cocktail of drugs to patients with even mild Covid in India.”
He said that the chances of people being affected outside the hospital are exceptionally low. “We have many respiratory conditions in which patients are on long-term home oxygen, oral corticosteroids and invasive mucor infection has not been as common in such patients,” he said.
Dr Kole said that strict control of diabetes during and after COVID-19 along with strict medical supervision is necessary to prevent black fungus.
“Appropriate use of steroids. Right dose for right patients for the right amount of time. No self-dosing of steroids (no oral steroids should be dispensed without a medical prescription). Stringent clinical monitoring among patients with other co-existing immunosuppressive conditions such as chronic liver disease, kidney disease and cancers are also very critical,” Dr Kole said.
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