Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday warned against the “new challenge of Black Fungus” and said there was a need for precaution and preparation to deal with it.
His remarks came at an interaction with the doctors, paramedical staff, and other frontline health workers of Varanasi over the challenges posed by the pandemic.
“In our ongoing fight against COVID-19, a new challenge of black fungus has surfaced. We must focus on precaution and preparation to deal with it,” the Prime Minister said.
Besides, Chairperson, Medanta Hospital, Dr Naresh Trehan on Friday emphasised that the key to control the “opportunistic fungus” is judicious use of steroids and good control of diabetes.
“The first symptoms of Covid-19-associated Mucormycosis are pain/stuffiness in the nose, inflammation on cheek, fungus patch inside the mouth, swelling in the eyelid etc. It requires aggressive medical treatment,” Dr Trehan told news agency ANI.
“The key to controlling the black fungus is the judicious use of steroids and good control of diabetes,” Trehan said. The doctors, however, assured that there was no cause for worry about this outbreak as it is treatable if detected on time.
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Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said there are 197 cases of black fungus in government and private hospitals till date in the national capital.
Addressing a press conference, he said minimal steroids should be used for the treatment of Covid and only on the advice of doctors it should be administered. It is not right to use it without consulting a professional. He said that black fungus is happening because to two reasons, first is the increase in blood sugar levels and the second is the decrease in immunity due to high usage of steroids.
The Union Health Ministry, on Thursday, urged the states to make mucormycosis, a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897. The central government made it mandatory for states to report both suspected and confirmed cases of mucormycosis to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
(With ANI inputs)
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