JAMMU:
Jammu and Kashmir on Friday reported its first death due to black fungus after a 40-year-old Covid-19 recovered patient died of mucormycosis at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu, on Thursday.
Principal of GMCH Dr Shashi Sudan Sharma has confirmed the fatality due to mucormycosis and said the man suffered from a high degree of diabetes of 900-level and was immunocompromised.
“The patient had tested negative of Covid-19 before he was admitted to the hospital for fungal infection,” Dr Sudan said, adding that it was an avoidable complication that could be restricted by strictly monitoring the blood sugar levels of Covid-19 patients, who have been put on steroids.
“His condition patient was critical when admitted into GMCH. We have so far detected this single case only. So, people are advised not to panic,” she said.
Earlier head of ophthalmology department at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, Dr
Satish Gupta had said, “We have not witnessed any case of black fungus infection in the recent months.”
He had advised the susceptible population to keep diabetes under check and warned all against unsupervised use of steroids. Dr Gupta said that black fungus usually targeted Covid-recovered persons with uncontrolled diabetes or those who have administered prolonged or unsupervised dosage of steroids.