270 black fungus cases reported in Pune; therapy SOPs framed

Around 270 cases of Mucormycosis a rare but dangerous fungal infection have been reported so far in Pune district prompting a government task force to come up with a set of standard operating procedures SOPs for patient management in hospitals officials said on FridaySymptoms of Mucormycosis also known as black fungus include headache fever pain under the eyes nasal or sinus congestion and partial loss of vision It affects the sinuses the brain and the lungs and can be lifethreatening in people who are diabetic or have suppressed immunityMucormycosis whose treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach has come in focus during the pandemic as it has been detected in some recovering and recovered coronavirus patients Saurabh Rao Divisional Commissioner Pune division said so far around 270 cases have been reported in various hospitals in the districtOur divisional task force member Dr Bharat Purandare has come up with a detailed SOPs for management of Mucormycosis The SOPs have been vetted by the task force he saidThe SOPs have been issued to all hospitals in the state We have asked hospitals to follow the guidelines mentioned in the SOPs the IAS officer said The SOPs contain details about clinical management treatment protocols patient management surgical intervention and medication Rao saidAlso Read Explained Why Covid19 patients are vulnerable to mucormycosis or black fungus causes symptoms preventionAsked about fatality rate among Mucormycosis patients in Pune district the senior bureaucrat said they are collating data in this regard It is a rare fungal infection Before Covid19 also we used to see such cases but their number was very low During the first wave of Covid19 we came across hardly four to five casesBut during the second wave of Covid19 we are seeing quite a number of cases said Dr Abhishek Ghosh a microvascular reconstructive surgeon at Noble Hospital He said so far around 40 cases of Mucormycosis have been reported in his hospitalFor a rare disease like Mucormycosis the number is very big said Dr Ghosh It is more common in patients who are diabetic and whose sugar levels are not under control said Dr Ghosh adding Covid19 patients are more susceptible to Mucormycosis due to prolonged steroid use during their treatmentIf the patient reports early then hisher vision is not lost Recovery without an orbital exenteration surgery removal of the eyeball and surrounding tissues is possible by using antifungal drugs said Dr GhoshHowever if the infection is severe and the patient reports late there is no option but to remove the eye completely to get rid of the fungus he said He said they performed an orbital exenteration surgery on a 28yearold man who had a severe infectionWe performed the surgery on the same day he was admitted to the hospital and removed his one eye and treated the infection Postsurgery he was put on antifungal drugs for the next 3 to 4 weeks Dr Ghosh said Yes there is trauma as he has lost one eye but at the same time the person is happy that his life was saved he saidA 48yearold resident of Baramati tehsil who was infected with Mucormycosis after recovering from a bout of Covid19 has lost one eye but considers himself lucky to have survived the deadly infection caused by black fungusHe underwent a surgery in which his left eye was removed Though I have lost my left eye I consider myself lucky as my life is saved after the surgery he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever