Srinagar : Reassuring people that there is no need to worry as Mucormycosis or black fungus is neither a new disease nor contagious, Medical Superintendent Chest Disease (CD) Hospital Dr Naveed Nazir Shah on Sunday said that people need to avoid self medication, identity high risk patients and keep blood sugar under control.
“Mucormycosis is not a new disease neither is contagious. We just need to avoid self medication like steroids, identify high risk patients and keep blood sugar under control,” Dr Naveed said.
He said as per Head of the Department (HoD) Oral and Maxillofacial surgery GDC Srinagar they have already successfully operated one case of Mucormycosis in November 2020 and another strong suspect case admitted with them. “Both post COVID and diabetics,” he added.
Jammu and Kashmir on Friday reported its first death due to black fungus after a 40-year-old Covid-19 recovered patient died of mucormycosis at Government Medical College (GMC) on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Saturday warned against the irrational use of steroids in Covid-19 patients as this could trigger deadly black fungal infection. “Indiscriminate use of steroids can trigger deadly black fungal infection, called mucormycosis which has reached to epidemic proportions in several states of the country,” said DAK President and influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan said.
Dr Hassan said steroids are life-saving drugs in severe Covid patients who have respiratory distress or need oxygen or ventilation. However, he said they are not indicated for those patients who are not having respiratory distress and are not having any kind of need for oxygen.
He said Recovery trial in the UK showed that steroids reduce the mortality in severe Covid-19 patients. But they increase the mortality when given to patients with mild disease.
“We are seeing steroids being prescribed to patients with mild COVID disease,” Dr Hassan said, adding people are using steroids on their own when they do not need them.
