Cases of "black fungus" on the rise in India 0:47
(CNN) -
India reported at least 8,848 cases of black fungus, according to data shared by the country's Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers on Saturday, prompting the government to allocate more drugs to states and union territories.
“After a detailed review of the increasing number of #Mucormicosis (black fungus) cases in various states, a total of 23,680 additional vials of # Amphotericin-B (medicine used to treat black fungus) have been assigned to all states / UT today, ”Sadanand Gowda, the minister of chemicals and fertilizers, tweeted on Saturday.
Gujarat is the most affected state with 2,281 cases, followed by Maharashtra, with 2,000 cases, according to the data.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said last week that the state, which has recorded at least 90 deaths from the disease, is facing a shortage of amphotericin B, for which it has issued a global tender.
As of Saturday, Maharashtra had received an additional 5,090 vials of the drug, and Tope told reporters last week that it had placed an order for 190,000 vials.
In Gujarat, the black fungus has also been detected in at least one minor.
A 15-year-old boy who recovered from Covid-19 was diagnosed with black fungus.
"That's why he underwent surgery, in surgery he had half of the paddle removed on the right side and all the upper teeth on the right side were also removed," Abhishek Bansal, his pediatrician, told local news on Saturday.
Black fungus is a fungal infection that has been increasingly found among patients who have recovered from COVID-19 in India, especially in patients suffering from diabetes.
Black fungus detected in 23 of the 36 states and union territories of India
Cases of mucormycosis, known as black fungus, have been detected in 23 of India's 36 states and union territories, according to data from India's Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Sadanand Gowda.
In early May, doctors in India began raising the alarm about an increase in mucormycosis.
Many of those infected are coronavirus patients, or those who have recently recovered from covid-19, whose immune systems have been weakened by the virus, or who have underlying conditions, most notably diabetes.
In recent weeks, thousands of black fungus cases have been reported across the country, with hundreds hospitalized and at least 90 deaths.
Two states have declared it an epidemic and the central government has made it a notifiable disease.
