NEW DELHI, May 24 — India registered more than 8,800 cases of infection with life-threatening fungus, known as mucormycosis or black fungus, in the country, Sadananda Gowda, India’s minister of chemicals and fertilisers, said on Sunday, according to Sputnik.
“After a detailed review of rising number of cases of #Mucormycosis in various states, a total of 23680 additional vials of #Amphotericin-B (anti-fungal drug) have been allocated to all States/UTs today. The allocation has been made based on total number of patients which is approximately 8,848 across the country,” Gowda tweeted.
According to the data provided by the minister, the state with the largest number of the rare fungus infection is Gujarat with 2,281 cases, followed closely by Maharashtra with 2,000. Other severely affected states include Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection with a mortality rate from 50 per cent to 94 per cent, depending on the stage. It can manifest after contacting fungal spores in the environment, or after the fungus enters the skin through a cut, scratch, or burn. People with diabetes and those with compromised immune system, including those recovering from COVID-19, are at a greater risk of getting the black fungus infection.
Indian Ambassador to Russia Venkatesh Varma said earlier that Indian doctors are in consultations with colleagues from Russia concerning possible methods of treating mucormycosis.
Sources: BERNAMA