Agartala: Even as Tripura is grappling with a surge in COVID-19 cases, the state reported its first case of black fungus.
The patient is a 68-year-old female and presently undergoing treatment in a private hospital (ILS).
Speaking with reporters, education minister and cabinet spokesperson Ratan Lal Nath said the 68-year-old female patient undergoing treatment for COVID-19 was found to be infected with black fungus (Mucormycosis), which is the first known case in the state.
“The government of India on May 19 had asked the state government to include Mucormycosis as Epidemic Disease Act, 1987 and to report all suspected and confirmed cases in each district under all facility level which will be shared to health department through CMOS and subsequently to State Surveillance Unit, IDSP,” Nath said.
He said that the guidelines for screening, diagnosis, management of MUCORMYCOSIS issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the ICMR will be followed.
Mucormycosis or black fungus is a complication caused by a fungal infection. People catch the infection by coming in contact with fungal spores in the environment. It can also develop after the fungus enters the skin through a cut, burn or other types of skin trauma.
It can affect areas from where it can be inhaled — through the nose, sinus, or lungs. If it enters from a wound or skin, it can cause local infection, but if it enters from the sinus, it can affect the eyes and brain.