The Black Fungus disease, adding woes to the existing situation of COVID19 has made all the Indian states gear up for this new epidemic. Mucormycosis, the deadly black fungus has been declared as a notifiable disease under the Public Health Act.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Indian Council of Medical Research requested the states and the Union Territories on Thursday to make mucormycosis a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. The disease, as of now has been found in plenty among 10-11 states of the Nation, has created a swell in the medical crisis.
WHAT IS A NOTIFIABLE DISEASE?
A notifiable disease is one which requires immediate reporting to the Government as stated by the law. It helps the government and its allies to monitor the outbreak and provide warnings to control spread of highly infectious diseases.
This deadly infection affects COVID19 patients who were addressed and treated as severely ill cases with oxygen support / ventilator. Children and women are also categorized as high risk under the black fungus disease.
Those patients administered with high levels of steroids have a high chance of mucormycosis. AIIMS advises prevention as the key and requests hospitals to keep tabs on COVID recovered patients and practice judicious use of steroids for COVID19 treatment
