UP's Shahjahanpur District Reports First Case Of Black Fungus Infection

Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur reported the district's first case of mucormycosis or Black Fungus after a 46-year-old man was diagnosed with the fungal infection, according to a senior official.

As a result of the Black Fungus infection, the man has lost his vision and has been sent to Lucknow's Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment, Chief Medical Officer Dr SP Gautam said on Monday.

Black Fungus or mucormycosis is caused by a group of moulds known as mucormycetes present naturally in the environment. It spreads through the nose and affects other parts of the body like the eyes.

"A 46-year-old man, who is a resident of Khuttar police station area, had swelling in his eyes and also lost his vision. After he reached the hospital, symptoms of Black Fungus were noticed. It was confirmed in a test and he was sent to Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences," Mr Gautam told news agency PTI.

No Black Fungus infected patient is being admitted in Shahjahanpur as the medicine is not available in the district, he said.

The treatment of Black Fungus infected patients will begin in the district once medicine is available, he added.

People whose immunity has been weakened due to Covid, diabetes, kidney disease, liver or cardiac disorders, age-related issues, or those on medication for auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to contract mucormycosis.

If such patients are administered steroids, their immunity weakens further, allowing the fungus to thrive.