A 40-year-old Jamshedpur woman died of Covid-induced mucormycosis on Tuesday, making her the first person to succimb to "black fungus", a rare infection that occurs in the lungs, nasal passage and sinuses and often harms the eyes.

The number of Covid patinets with black fungus has been rising in Jharkhand at an alarming rate with no less than 30 cases being reported in the last 72 hours.

Doctors at Bhagwan Mahavir Medica Superspecialty Hospital in Ranchi said the Jamshedpur woman, who died before she could be shifted to the private healthcare facility in the state capital, was diabetic and needed immediate medical attention.

“We had arranged a bed for her in our hospital, but she died before she could be brought here,” said Dr Anindya Anuradha, an ophthalmologist who has been treating cases of black fungus at Medica. “The patient was bleeding from both her eyes and was in need of immediate critical care,” she added.

While four patients suffering from Covid-induced mucormycosis were undergoing treatment at Medica, at least 20 more were waiting for beds in the hospital, doctors said. The hospital administration has started arranging for more beds to accommodate critical cases of black fungus, said Dr Anuradha.

Two patients of Covid-induced Mucormycosis were also undergoing treatment at the state-run Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) on Wednesday. Both patients were diabetic and had recently recovered from Covid-19, doctors said.

Ranchi Civil Surgeon Dr Vinod Kumar admitted that cases of black fungus have been reported in the state capital and some patients may need critical care depending on the severity of the disease.

“Two mucormycosis patients are undergoing treatment at the post-Covid care in RIMS. We do not have black fungus patients at Sadar Hospital yet as we do not have a post-Covid care facility here,” said Kumar, adding that early diagnosis was the only way to prevent severe complications in patients.

Mucormycosis, also called black fungus, is a rare infection caused by exposure to mucor mould found in soil, plants, manure and decaying fruits and vegetables. This infection usually affects the lungs, the nasal tract and the sinus of the patient and has a fatality rate of 50 per cent, say doctors.

Dr Anuradha of Medica Hospital said that almost all the patients that have been diagnosed with mucormycosis in Ranchi either had a history of diabetes or witnessed a rise in their blood sugar level during Covid treatment.

“Covid survivors who are diabetic should be extra cautious and immediately seek medical attention if they feel any discomfort in their eye, nose or ear,” she said.

Earlier this week, doctors at Medica had to surgically remove an eye of a patient to save his life, while two more patients lost their vision due to the disease.