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BIG STORY MAY 28, 2021 | The Indian Eye 4

covid-19 crisis

dOuBle jeOpardy

even as covid-19 continues to ravage india, an epidemic of black Fungus is

now killing people in hundreds. can the indian government handle two major

healthcare crises at the same time?

Our Bureau
New Delhi

ndia is living a horror as
people are leaving the bod-
Iies of their loved ones in the
Ganges river. In the last week
or so, several corpses have been
found floating in the Ganga or
buried near its banks across Ut-
tar Pradesh and Bihar. Local
residents have complained of
stench coming from the bloat-
ed, decomposing corpses and
accused the authorities of in-
eptitude.
These incidents have
sparked fears about the scale of
the COVID crisis in the coun-
try. Authorities believe the rel-
atives of those who succumbed
to the virus, may not have been
able to find space for the last
rites.
As if the Covid-19 pandem-
ic was not enough, India is now A medic performs a diagnostic endoscopy on a patient to detect black fungus, at NSCB Medical college
facing another epidemic called and Hospital in Jabalpur on Thursday. (ANI Photo)
Black Fungus.
Mucormycosis is a rare fun- port every Mucormycosis case systems such as cancer patients Prevention and Control (IPC)
gal disease commonly being to the state government. or people with HIV/AIDS. to manage fungal infections
detected in the Covid-19 pa- Amid the rising concern of And yet again the govern- in health facilities like estab-
tients who are in the recovery black fungus cases in addition ment is failing big time in fight- lishing/activating the Hospital
phase. Doctors are linking the to the COVID pandemic, the ing the new disease. Amid the Infection Control Committee,
sudden surge in Mucormycosis rare cases of Mucormycosis of rising cases of Mucormycosis taking transmission-based pre-
cases to the use of steroids to the small intestine have been or ‘black fungus’, the Union cautions with focus on droplet,
treat Covid-19 patients. reported in Delhi’s Sir Ganga Health Ministry on Saturday airborne and contacts to pro-
Cases of ‘black fungus’ in- Ram Hospital. said the availability of Ampho- tect healthcare workers and
fection are being reported in The fungal infection, which tericin-B, the key drug to treat ensure patient safety; ensur-
several parts of the country. is caused by exposure to mucor the deadly disease is now being ing effective Biomedical Waste
States like Rajasthan, Gujarat, mould that is commonly found increased and the ministry is in Management and Enhanced
Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, in soil, plants, manure, and de- touch with five additional man- IPC practices in ICU, Labs, etc.
Odisha, Telangana and Tamil caying fruits and vegetables, ufacturers. with focus on immuno-com-
Nadu have already declared it affects the brain, lungs, and si- During the press interac- promised patients, on steroid
a ‘notifiable’ disease under the nuses and can be lethal to those tion, the Health ministry also treatment and with comorbid-
Epidemic Diseases Act, there- suffering from diabetes and briefed that states are advised ities
by making it mandatory to re- having compromised immune towards the need for Infection Continued on next page... >>

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