Share data on black fungus cases by 4 pm every day: Delhi health dept tells medical facilities

New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) The Delhi health department on Wednesday directed all government and private medical facilities in the city to report data on black fungus cases to the concerned district surveillance officer (DSO) daily by 4 pm.

The data is needed to ensure allocation of Liposomal Amphotericin B by the Union health ministry to Delhi, the department said in an order.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said there are around 620 cases of black fungus or mucormycosis in Delhi but Amphotericin-B injections used in its treatment are in short supply.

The health department said that a reporting format has been designed and hosted on the Covid portal -- http://www.covid19.nhp.gov.in"www.covid19.nhp.gov.in -- that can be accessed and filled up by the DSOs.

"All government and private medical facilities in Delhi are directed to report Mucormycosis case data as per enclosed format to their DSOs concerned on a daily basis by 4 pm on their concerned mail IDs," the order read.

"The timely data upload is crucial to ensure allocation of Liposomal Amphotericin B by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to Delhi," it said.

The central government's Department of Pharmaceuticals has been making allocations of Liposomal Amphotericin B injections to states and union territories based on the data provided by them on the Centre's COVID-19 portal.

Mucormycosis is caused by a group of moulds known as mucormycetes present naturally in the environment. It spreads through the nose and affects other parts of the body such as the eyes.

People whose immunity has been weakened due to Covid, diabetes, kidney disease, liver or cardiac disorders, age-related issues, or those on medication for auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to contract mucormycosis.

If such patients are administered steroids, their immunity weakens further, allowing the fungus to thrive. PTI GVS DIV DIV