Centre asks states and UTs to make black fungus notifiable disease under Epidemic Diseases Act

NEW DELHI: The

Centre

has asked states and UTs to make mucormycosis a

notifiable disease

under the

Epidemic Diseases Act

, 1897 as cases are increasing rapidly across India.

Some states, including Rajasthan and Telangana have already made it a notifiable disease.

A notifiable disease means the government has to be mandatorily informed when any case is detected. This will enable the government to collect data, analyse the surge and initiate policy as well as clinical measures to tackle the issue.

Apart from

Covid-19

, tuberculosis, cholera and diphtheria are among the notifiable diseases in the country.

The health ministry has also asked all government and private health facilities and medical colleges to follow guidelines for screening, diagnosis and management of mucormycosis that have been issued by the ministry and the ICMR.

“You are requested to make mucormycosis a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, wherein all government and private health facilities, medical colleges will follow guidelines for screening, diagnosis, management of mucormycosis, issued by MOHFW and ICMR and make it mandatory for all these facilities to report all suspected and confirmed cases to health department through district-level chief medical officer and subsequently to IDSP surveillance system,” Lav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry, wrote in a letter to the states and the UTs.

The Centre has also urged states to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to treat the disease. “The treatment of this fungal infection requires a multidisciplinary approach consisting of eye surgeons, ENT specialist general surgeon, neurosurgeon, dental maxillofacial surgeon etc., and institution of amphotericin B as an antifungal medicine,” Agarwal said.

Cases of mucormycosis, commonly known as black fungus, are increasingly been reported across the country, especially in diabetic patients who have been put on steroids after testing positive for Covid-19.

Earlier, the government had issued caution against the irrational use of steroid by Covid-19 patients and also advised monitoring of blood sugar levels regularly to avoid the infection. There are also concerns about quality of water in oxygen concentrators that often leaves moisture leading to the fungal infection.

“In recent times, a new challenge in the form of a fungal infection, namely mucormycosis, has emerged and is reported from many states amongst COVID-19 patients, especially those on steroid therapy deranged sugar control. This fungal infection is leading to prolonged morbidity and mortality amongst Covid-19 patients,” Agarwal said in the letter.


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