All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) director Randeep Guleria on Friday listed three factors important in the prevention of ‘black fungus’ or mucormycosis outbreak. “Three factors are very important- good control of blood sugar levels, those on steroids must monitor blood sugar levels regularly, and be careful about when to give steroids and their dosage,” news agency ANI quoted Guleria saying.
Judicious use of steroids and controlling blood sugar was a must to prevent black fungus disease, or mucormycosis, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria said on May 21.
Mucormycosis, which has affected more than 5,000 coronavirus patients in India, was also prevalent during the SARS outbreak in 2002, Dr Guleria, who is also a member of the nation COVID task force, said.
The Modi government on Thursday requested all the states and Union territories to declare Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, as an epidemic. In its letter to all states and Union Territories, the Union Health Ministry has asked them to make it mandatory for all government and private health facilities to report all suspected and confirmed cases to the health department and subsequently to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) surveillance system.
There’re a lot of false messages going around that it can happen due to eating raw food but there is no data to suggest that. It also has nothing to do with the type of O2 being used, he clarified, adding that it is also being reported in people in home isolation.
Meanwhile, Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman, Medanta, said that the first symptoms of COVID-associated Mucormycosis are pain/stuffiness in the nose, inflammation on the cheek, fungus patch inside the mouth, swelling in the eyelid, etc.
