Black fungus cases are increasing in Gurugram at an alarming rate and in the last 24 hours the district health department has confirmed 14 new infections. With this, the total figure has now risen to 170. These include patients living in outer districts of the State apart from Gurugram. The city has recorded four suspected deaths due to black fungus however none were confirmed by the district health department.
Dr Amitabh Malik, Chief of the ENT Department, Paras Hospital, Gurugram said, the black fungus infection was mostly affecting diabetics and patients with weak immunity.
“When a diabetic person gets coronavirus, he is given steroids which weakens immunity and increases the sugar levels. A corona patient without comorbidities does not have this infection. This is not a new form of Covid infection. This includes people who have health problems or take medicines that reduce the body’s ability to fight germs and disease. These affects people with diabetes, cancer or people who have had an organ transplant,” Dr Malik said.
According to the doctors, common symptoms associated with the disease are headache, facial pain, and nasal congestion, loss of vision or eye pain, swelling of the cheeks and eyes, and black crust in the nose.
However, no cases of white fungus have been reported so far in the district.
“White fungus is a fungus named Candida which also affects those with weak immunity,” said Dr. Shashank Vashisth, Senior Consultant, ENT Department of Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurugram.