SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has so far reported eight suspected mucormycosis (black fungus) cases while one more suspected person has died so far, officials told local news gatherer GNS on Wednesday.
The disease is nothing new and existed already. It has been declared an epidemic disease by the Jammu and Kashmir government. It is not communicable, unlike Covid19.
Among the fresh cases, they said, two are at Jammu, three at Kathua and one each at Reasi, Srinagar and Udhampur respectively. While one death a 40-year-old man from Poonch—has been confirmed, another victim is said to be a resident of Kathua.
“The report of the suspected patient from Kathua as well as eight other patients under treatment is still awaited,” the news agency was told by a senior official. “Those under treatment are mostly covid-19 patients.”
Meanwhile, Jammu newspaper Daily Excelsior reported that the lone Srinagar case is confirmed and is being taken care of by the ENT department of the GMC in Srinagar.
“The patient who had earlier recovered from the COVID-19 infection had reported to the Out Patient Department (OPD) of the Government Dental College (GDC), Srinagar on Sunday, but was not admitted,” the newspaper said. The patient has a history of uncontrolled diabetes and was on long-term steroids as well. “Today, the investigations carried out by the doctors at the ENT Department earlier revealed the presence of the infection in the patient’s palate area, prompting the doctors to take the immediate necessary measures. As of now, the patient is under observation and is stated to be stable. The doctors are also trying to keep the patient’s sugar levels under control which can play an important role in treating the patient well.”
Chandigarh based newspaper Tribune reported that India has 11,717 patients currently being treated for fungal disease. “Gujarat reported maximum of 2,859 mucormycosis patients under treatment till May 25 night followed by Maharashtra (2,770), Andhra Pradesh (768), Madhya Pradesh (752), Telangana (744), Uttar Pradesh (701), Central institutions (592), Rajasthan (492), Karnataka (481), Haryana (436), Tamil Nadu (236), Bihar (215), Punjab (141), Uttarakhand (124), Delhi (119), Chhattisgarh (103), Chandigarh (83), Kerala (36), Jharkhand (29), Odisha (15), Goa (10), Jammu and Kashmir (5), Himachal Pradesh (3), Puducherry (2) and Tripura (1),” it said quoting official sources.
