The state health department has issued an advisory on mucormycosis or black fungus amid the rise in suspected cases of the disease in patients and fears among people.

The disease is “a fungal infection that mainly affects people who are on medication for other health problems that reduces their ability to fight environmental pathogens”, the advisory said.

The Telegraph lists some of the important points from the advisory that can help people.

⚫There are some warning signs and symptoms like pain and redness around eyes and/or nose, fever, headache, coughing, shortness of breath, bloody vomit and altered mental status

⚫ One must become cautious if there is a nasal congestion and blackish or bloody nasal discharge

⚫Other warning signs include one-sided facial pain, numbness or swelling, blackish discolouration over bridge of nose/palate, blood clot without any injury, blurred or double vision with pain

“The disease progresses from the nose to the eyes to the brain. One should not wait and seek a doctor’s help if there is blackish or brownish nasal secretion,” said Dulal Bose, the clinical director of ENT at Peerless Hospital.

⚫Uncontrolled diabetes, people on immunosuppresants, people who underwent an organ transplant, patients who had prolonged ICU stay in hospital are among the most vulnerable

⚫Some of the ways in preventing mucormycosis is to control diabetes; use steroids at the right time, and take the right dose for the right duration; use clean distilled water for humidifiers during oxygen therapy; avoid exposure to decaying organic matters like bread/fruit/vegetable and excreta. Maintaining good personal hygiene is very important

⚫People who are diabetic and those who have recovered from Covid-19 must monitor their blood glucose levels regularly

“Keeping blood sugar levels under control and steam inhalation can help. But people need not panic. In my experience of 50 years, I have seen five cases of mucormycosis,” said Bose, a former head of the ENT department at SSKM Hospital.

Anirban Dalui, assistant professor, community medicine, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, said mucormycosis is a rare disease. “But it has been made a notifiable disease. Any doctor treating a patient with suspected symptoms must notify it to the government. A disease is made notifiable if it was rare but suddenly many cases gets reported. But there is no reason to panic because it is a very uncommon and rare disease,” he said.

“Do not lose crucial time to initiate treatment for mucormycosis,” the advisory said.