BENGALURU: Over three hundred people, who had fully recovered from COVID-19, have died in Karnataka due to mucormycosis. Of the total, more than 100 deaths were reported in Bengaluru. The disease has been declared an epidemic in the country under the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Act 2020.
As of July 9, there were 3491 patients suffering from black fungus (mucormycosis) in Karnataka, with a fatality rate of 8.6 per cent. Doctors suspect that apart from COVID-19, high sugar levels and steroid usage, there is no other single factor which can cause the fungal infection. The official source said that maximum deaths reported between May and early June were mostly due to the shortage of anti-fungal medicine named Liposomal Amphotericin B drug.
According to sources, Bengaluru (Urban) reported 1109 cases; Dharwad, 279; and Vijayapura, 208 cases of black fungus. Mucormycosis can also spread to the lungs and can prove to be 100 per cent fatal if not treated in time. Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, said that black fungus mostly occurs due to the misuse of steroids.