Black Fungus declared an epidemic in Rajasthan

The Rajasthan government has declared black fungus or mucormycosis an epidemic amid a steep rise in infections among Covid-19 patients, reported sources on Wednesday. Cases of Black Fungus have been on the rise in the state to tackle which a separate ward has been set up in Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur.

Chief minister Ashok Gehlot had expressed concern over the rising number of black fungus cases in Covid patients, and instructed officials to include its treatment in the health insurance scheme at a Covid-19 review meeting on Wednesday.

Black fungus has been notified as an epidemic and a notifiable disease in the state under the Rajasthan Epidemic Act 2020, according to a notification issued by principal health secretary Akhil Arora.

Arora told PTI that the state is making a coordinated and integrated effort to treat both black fungus and Covid-19.

Currently, the state is treating around 100 patients at the designated ward in Sawai Man Singh hospital in the capital. The state has also issued orders to purchase 2,500 vials of amphotericin-B, the drug used to treat Black Fungus.

The Centre has so far provided 700 vials of the drug and promised to provide 50,000 more, state health minister Raghu Sharma told reporters on May 17.

Minister of state for chemicals and fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya told reporters on Tuesday that the central government is making efforts to ramp up domestic production of amphotericin-B and bolster imports of the drug from all over the world. He also added that the government has outlined a system for efficient distribution of the necessary drug.