According to the state health department, Maharashtras increasing count of black fungus or mucormycosis cases have reached 7,395 on Sunday. Out of these, 644 patients who were infected with black fungus have died, whereas 2,212 patients have recovered from it.

The maximum number of black fungus cases are reported from Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and Solapur districts. The state government has put a cap recently on the rates for treatment of black fungus or mucormycosis at private hospitals.

Black fungus or Mucormycosis is a complication by a fungal infection. People contracting mucormycosis come in contact with the fungal spores which are present in the environment.

As per the Union Health Ministry, black fungus can develop on the skin as the fungus can enter the skin through a cut, burn, scrapeor other types of skin trauma. Mucormycosis is detected in patients who are recovering or recovered from COVID-19. Furthermore, if anyone is diabetic and whose immune system is not functioning properly needs to be very careful against it.

Last month, in the view of rising cases of black fungus, the Union Health Ministry had said that the availability of Amphotericin-B, which is the key drug used for the treatment of mucormycosis, is now increased and the ministry is also in touch with five other manufacturers.

Several states such as Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have declared black fungus as a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, thus making it compulsory to report every Mucormycosis case to the state government.

Source: ET Healthworld