Uttarakhand reported its first death by black fungus or Mucormycosis at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh, informed AIIMS PRO on Monday. AIIMS PRO Dr Harish Thapliyal said that the black fungus infection has been found in 15 COVID-19 patients of Uttarakhand and they are admitted to AIIMS Rishikesh. "Along with the corona infection, the risk of black fungus is increasing in Uttarakhand, the circumstances are that cases of black fungus are continuously coming up in Uttarakhand and the first death due to black fungus was reported in AIIMS Rishikesh," said AIIMS PRO.
He further said that the maximum five infected are residents of Haridwar district.
"The deceased man died from black fungus in AIIMS was infected from COVID-19 and was bought from Dehradun a few days ago in AIIMS. After several tests black fungus infection was confirmed in him," said Dr Harish Thapliyal.
According to PRO, during this period in AIIMS Rishikesh, several other patients were also tested due to suspected symptoms of black fungus, after which 15 patients diagnosed with black fungus.
"Of the total 15 cases, 12 infected people are from Uttarakhand out of which five are from Haridwar, four from Dehradun, one from Kashipur, one from Udham Singh Nagar and one from Almora," he added.
He also said that 10 people have undergone surgery for this infection.
According to the Union Health Ministry, there are 79,379 active coronavirus cases in Uttarakhand and 4,426 died due to the deadly disease.
As per the Union Health Ministry, Mucormycosis or black fungus is a complication caused by a fungal infection. People catch mucormycosis by coming in contact with the fungal spores in the environment. It can also develop on the skin after the fungus enters the skin through a cut, scrape, burn, or another type of skin trauma.
The disease is being detected among patients who are recovering or have recovered from COVID-19. Moreover, anyone who is diabetic and whose immune system is not functioning well needs to be on the guard against this, said the ministry.
It further stated that the disease is caused by a set of micro-organisms known as mucormycetes, which are present naturally in the environment, seen mostly in soil and in decaying organic matter like leaves, compost and piles.
It stated that the treatment of COVID-19 patients involves the intake of drugs like dexamethasone, which suppresses our immune system response. Due to these factors, COVID-19 patients face a renewed risk of failing the battle against attacks mounted by organisms such as mucormycetes.
(With IANS inputs)
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