Over 2000 cases of black fungus reported in Maharashtra

Mumbai : The Maharashtra government has decided to use hospitals attached to medical colleges as treatment center for patients with black fungus (Mucormycosis), said health minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday.

Headache, Fever and pain under eyes are some of the common symptoms in patients with black fungus.

"There could be more than 2000 cases of black fungus infection in the state," he said. "This number could increase as more cases of coronavirus are being reported every day," he added.

The state government has decided to make hospitals attached to medical colleges as its treatment center because they can complete multidisciplinary demands for the treatment.

He also mentioned that the mortality rate in patients with black fungus is more than 50 per cent.

"A Mucormycosis patient needs to be seen by various experts such as ENT, ophthalmologists and neurologists among others. We are trying to cover most of the treatment under the Mahatma Phule Jan Aarogya Yojana (the state's flagship health scheme), the minister said.

Talking about the cost of treatment, he said he will be writing to the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority to bring down the MRP of medicines required for its treatment.

Amphotercin-B is a key medicine required for treatment of such patients. Haffkine (a state-run pharma firm based in Mumbai) is going float a tender for one lakh injections of the drug, Mr Tope said.