150 admitted to ENT hospital with black fungus infection in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: As many as 150 persons have been admitted with black fungus infection or mucormycosis at the Government ENT Hospital here in the last three days. The maximum of these patients were from different districts of Telangana state who came in once the facility was declared the nodal centre for treatment.

Doctors say they have only 50 unoccupied beds and the hospital is now full with in-patients of black fungus infection. Severe cases have been admitted where the infection is in the nose and space behind the eyes. Mild cases of sinus are being treated at out-patient level and oral medicines prescribed.

The out-patient ENT department is also seeing a huge rush of patients as Covid-recovered patients are coming to the hospital for check-ups. Panic about the disease is also causing many to get themselves checked.

Doctors have advised the recovered patients to wear masks at home, which will help in prevention. From the admitted patients, it was found that only 30 per cent of them had uncontrolled sugar levels while the others were found to have side-effects of steroids and lowered cell-immunity due to the virus.

Mucormycosis in maximum patients has affected the eyes and this will require ear, nose, throat and eye doctors to step in with help in the treatment process.

A doctor at the hospital says, "There are a few patients whose both eyes have turned black. These will require aggressive treatment. The challenge is to save lives and also save vision in at least one eye. These patients will be attended to on a priority basis."

Stocks of amphotericin B are sufficient, stated doctors, adding, they are being directly supplied by the Telangana state medical devices and infrastructure development corporation.

The cases in ENT Hospital indicate more men than females suffering from the disease. The ratio is 9 males per one female for every 10 cases. The cases among the age group of 30-50 years are high. Those who were under home treatment and did not take steroids have also reported severe infections of black fungus.

Dr Manish Gupta, senior ENT surgeon at the hospital, explained: "The Covid19 virus reduces cell immunity, making the human body susceptible to fungus in the air. Improving cell immunity in recovery is important."

With the anti-fungal medicines available, doctors are confident that after surgical intervention in the treatment will be effective as the medicine removes the fungus completely from the body.

Private hospitals have sent in their demands for medicines, as high as 500 requisitions, in the last two days. These will be scrutinized and directly supplied by the stockists and pharmacies to hospital.

These steps are being taken to control black marketing of medicines that is rampant in the second wave. Drug control officers have warned main stockists and pharmacies that batches of all medicines will be strictly monitored to ensure there is no scope for black marketing.