Speculations of Black fungus allayed by SMCH, Silchar MP, Cachar DC

Silchar, May 30: A day after the hullabaloo over the alleged detection of Black Fungus in COVID-19 afflicted patient, which was claimed to be the first such case in Barak Valley, authorities at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital(SMCH), Silchar MP Dr  Rajdeep Roy  and Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli allayed the speculations by affirming that even though the preliminary reports suggest that the patient is suffering from post-COVID complications, there is nothing conclusive on the issue as yet.

Elaborating on the case, Dr Babul Bezbaruah, principal of SMCH clarified that the patient, a resident of Karimganj district was detected for COVID-19 on May 5 at the Karimganj Civil Hospital and was tested negative on May 11 following which he was discharged. However, with breathing complications, the patient was admitted at a private hospital at Silchar on May 12 till May 15. After being discharged, the patient was again taken to another hospital here with complications of shortness of breath wherein he was treated conservatively or post-COVID complications as per the protocol. Later, on May 26, the patient was brought to the Department of Ophthalmology wherein he was examined and found that one eye had swelling, his nerve had problems and nasal obstructions. After that, the case was referred to the Department of ENT along with the Department of Medicine. The Department of ENT did the nasal endoscopy and biopsy and his swab was collected. We are waiting for the biopsy report while the swab culture report will take at least 4-5 days. But, the potassium hydroxide test to determine Black Fungal infection came out to be positive. However, we have to wait for the other reports to say that it is a typical case of Black Fungus, Dr Bezbaruah maintained.

Silchar MP Dr Rajdeep Roy who is also a noted physician said that Black Fungus or mucormycosis is a very common type of disease found during peak summer season and monsoon. "This disease is treated by the ENT doctors and claimed that it is not contagious or life threatening, barring when a patient's immune system is affected. The concerned patient who has been detected with symptoms of mucormycosis is being treated and we hope that he recovers soon." He informed that medicine for such treatment is available at the SMCH and there is no reason for the masses to worry.  

Cachar DC Keerthi Jalli informed that people must not panic on the issue and said that the patient is kept and treated in isolation. "We must not pay heed to any rumor while we assure that the fight against COVID-19 is fought with great resilience by all. I urge people not to ignore early symptoms of the disease and report to the health centers and hospitals for better treatment," the Deputy Commissioner said.        

It may be mentioned that on Saturday, District Media Expert NHM in Cachar district while communicating routine updates on the status of COVID-19 patients had mentioned that a case of Black Fungus has come to the fore and further reports are in the offing. This triggered great curiosity and brouhaha across southern Assam as people took to social media flooding comments and reactions. Soon, the authorities of SMCH and Cachar Deputy Commissioner reacted saying there are no confirmed reports of any such case yet.