Black fungus count touches 1,250; Karnataka still faces drug shortage

Bengaluru: The spike in mucormycosis cases across the state has set alarm bells ringing: Specialists say they are seeing more such infections in the age group of 35 to 45 years.

Though the exact reason for the high incidence among the younger age group is yet to be determined, the rise in mucormycosis, or black fungus, cases and the shortage of drugs have left health department officials and the medical fraternity in a tizzy.

Health minister K Sudhakar on Monday said there were 1,250 mucormycosis cases in the state and, of these, 1,193 are currently under treatment. The highest number of cases were reported from Bengaluru Urban (508 cases), followed by Dharwad (119) and Kalaburagi (102). Chikkaballapura and Chikkamagaluru reported only one case each so far.

While 18 people have been cured, 39 have succumbed to the infection. Of the 18 cured, 10 are from Bengaluru. Among deaths, Dharwad had reported eight fatalities while Bengaluru Urban had three.

“Steroids taken on self-medication, unchecked and uncontrolled diabetes are major causes behind the sudden surge in cases among patients who have recovered from Covid,” said Dr Bhujang Shetty, well known ophthalmologist and member of the expert panel set up to manage mucormycosis. “A Majority of mucormycosis cases are seen in the age group 35-45 years. While most patients are men, women are equally vulnerable,” he added.

Each mucormycosis patient requires 5-6 injections of Amphotericin-B per day for 15 days. Patients are generally administered 5 mg per kg of body weight. However, there is a severe shortage of drugs and the state has requested the Centre to allocate more vials. Health minister Sudhakar said the state requires at least 10,000 vials per day while the Centre on Monday allocated 1,930 vials of Amphotericin-B to the state.