Black fungus: Health minister Harsh Vardhan says 5,424 cases of Mucormycosis reported in 18 states, UTs

New Delhi, May 24: Union health minister Harsh Vardha on Monday said that India has 5,424 cases of Mucormycosis or black fungus, a life-threatening infection, prevailing in COVID-19 patients or those in recently recovered from the viral disease.

All these cases have been reported from 18 states and Union territories, the health minister also said. Out of the total, 4556 patients have a history of COVID-19 infection and 55 per cent of them had diabetes.

With COVID-19 cases now below record levels, doctors in India are battling with the black fungus epidemic. The infection attacks the immune system of the patient and most likely to have fatal results in patients with comorbidity like diabetes.

Mucormycosis is caused by exposure to mucor mold, which is commonly found in soil, air and even in the nose and mucus of humans. It spreads through the respiratory tract and erodes facial structures. Sometimes, doctors have to surgically remove the eye to stop the infection from reaching the brain.

On Saturday, Union minister of chemicals and fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda announced an allocation of 23,680 additional vials of Amphotericin-B, a key drug to treat the raging infection amid complaints by many chief ministers regarding the shortage.

The death toll from COVID-19 in India crossed 300,000 as the number of daily fatalities hovered above 4000. The country's COVID-19 tally, meanwhile, has increased to 26,752,447 after 222,315 positive cases were detected in the 24-hour period.