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Three more detected with black fungus in Himachal
A Solan woman admitted to IGMC after she complained of vision loss; two patients undergoing treatment at Tanda
Even as Covid infections are on a decline for past one month, the rise in black fungus cases has left the health authorities in Himachal Pradesh worried.
Three more patients have been diagnosed with mucormycosis in the state.
A 41-year-old woman from Solan’s Arki, who lives in Shimla, has been admitted to the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) after complaining of loss of eyesight, said senior medical superintendent Dr Janak Raj.
Initial test reports have confirmed presence of black fungus and culture and biopsy reports are awaited. The patient had recently recovered from Covid. He said ENT specialists removed decayed skin from the patient’s nose through surgical treatment and her condition is stable.
Himachal had recorded its first case of mucormycosis on Friday when a 52-year-old woman from Hamirpur was found infected with deadly fungus. She is currently undergoing treatment at IGMC. Her surgical treatment was to be held on Saturday, but couldn’t be done due to her unstable blood pressure and high blood sugar level.
Meanwhile, two cases of black fungus have been reported at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College in Tanda.
Kangra chief medical officer (CMO) Dr Gurdarshan Gupta said a 40-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman were diagnosed with mucormycosis as well.
They had Covid and their samples tested after symptoms of black fungus infection emerged turned out positive.
Dr Gupta said the patients are being treated as per the protocol.
Mucormycosis, commonly called black fungus, is caused by a mould found in soil and in decaying organic matter like rotting leaves. People get mucormycosis, of which there are several types, by breathing in the fungal spores.
Intense headache, pain in the sinus area and the right eye, blurred vision and swollen cheeks are some of the symptoms.
The disease progresses rapidly and attacks blood vessels and live tissues turning them black — hence the name ‘black fungus. The infection needs to be caught early or it may turn deadly. Once spread to brain, the mortality rate is 50%.
Himachal logs 1,309 infections, 59 deaths
Himachal Pradesh recorded 1,309 fresh Covid-19 infections on Sunday taking the state’s tally to 1,79,034, while the death toll mounted to 2,752 after 59 more patients succumbed to the contagion.
Of the new cases, 245 were reported in Solan, 216 in Kangra, 204 in Shimla, 144 in Mandi, 133 in Sirmaur, 122 in Hamirpur, 80 in Chamba, 75 in Una, 51 in Bilaspur, 26 in Kullu, seven in Lahaul-Spiti and six in Kinnaur.
Highest 16 fatalities were reported in Kangra, nine in Shimla, eight in Mandi, five each in Chamba and Sirmaur, four each in Hamirpur and Una, three each in Bilaspur and Solan and one each in Kinnaur and Kullu.
Recoveries reached 1,50,278 after 4,059 people recuperated.
The active cases have come down to 25,979.
Meanwhile, Kangra remains the worst-hit district with 40,447 infections and is followed by Mandi with 24,093 cases and Shimla 22,715 cases.
Solan has total 20,536 cases, Sirmaur 13,799, Hamirpur 12,681, Una 11,573, Bilaspur 11,240, Chamba 8,986 , Kullu 7,859, Kinnaur 2,622 and Lahaul-Spiti 2,483.
