Chennai: With the increasing number of Mucormycosis cases in the State, Tamilnadu government has announced it as a notified disease.
State Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan today said that if any patient is diagnosed with Mucormycosis disease it should be immediately notified to the government.
He further said that nine people who had recovered from coronavirus have been diagnosed with Mucormycosis. “Out of the nine, seven are diabetes patients, all of the doing well now,” he said.
Radhakrishnan added that a team has been formed to review the spread of Mucormycosis in the State.
He also requested people not to get panicked about the disease as it is not something new.
It was earlier reported that a person in Thoothukudi had lost his life after getting affected by the Mucormycosis.
Reports also said that more than 50 persons have been affected by Mucormycosis in Madurai.
Earlier in the day, HR&CE Minister P K Sekar Babu said that Tamilnadu is ready to tackle Mucormycosis. He said that enough medicines are present to treat the disease.
It may be noted that the Central government has already told doctors to look out for signs of Mucormycosis or ‘black fungus’ in Covid-19 patients as hospitals report a rise in cases of the rare but potentially fatal infection.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) last week had said that doctors treating Covid-19 patients, diabetics and those with compromised immune systems should watch for early symptoms including sinus pain or nasal blockage on one side of the face, one-sided headache, swelling or numbness, toothache and loosening of teeth.
What is it
Mucormycosis, formerly known as zygomycosis, is the disease caused by the many fungi that belong to the fungal family Mucorales. These types of fungi are usually found in soil and are often associated with decaying organic material such as fruit and vegetables.
Mucorales family are considered opportunistic, meaning they usually infect people with an impaired immune system, or with damaged tissue. Use of drugs which suppress the immune system such as corticosteroids can lead to impaired immune function.
Mucormycosis can manifest in the lungs, but the nose and sinuses are the most common site of Mucormycosis infection. From there it can spread to the eyes, potentially causing blindness, or the brain, causing headaches or seizures.