As ‘black fungus’ keeps on spreading in different Indian states amid the Covid surge, Bangladesh remains alert so that this fungal disease cannot put any extra strain on the country’s medical system, says DGHS.

Speaking at a virtual press briefing, Dr Nazmul Islam, a spokesman of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said, “Many patients have been diagnosed with black fungus or mucormycosis in different Indian states, including Maharashtra Gujarat, Delhi and recently in West Bengal.”

He said this rare fungal disease has been declared as an epidemic in different states of India. “In Bangladesh, we’re keeping a close eye on it so that it can’t create extra pressure on our health system.”

The Indian states are declaring the “black fungus” an epidemic since it has increased in patients recovering from Covid-19.

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 According to experts, black fungus affects patients initially in the nose and then it can spread into the brain. Often it can be treated by major surgeries removing the eye or part of the skull and jaw.

More than 7,000 people in India have already been reported with the fungal disease and 219 have lost their lives. Many of those being infected with the disease are coronavirus patients, or those who have recently recovered from Covid-19, whose immune systems have been weakened by the virus or who have underlying conditions, including diabetes.

Dr Nazmul Islam said they have already talked about the preventive measures of the fungal disease at their different forums.

He said the members of the national technical advisory committee are working on the issue and they will finalise their guidelines and suggestions in this regard through discussions. “We’ve also talked about the issue. We’ve also sent warming messages to different districts.”

The DGS officials said they will formally give specific guidelines on the treatment protocol management of the rare fungal disease.

Read: Covid vaccination in Bangladesh to start in first week of Feb: DGHS

About the Covid vaccine, he said, the government’s stock of AstraZeneca vaccine is about to deplete at the end of this week.

Dr Nazmul said 15 lakh people who received the first dose will not get the second dose in time as the stock is going to be exhausted.

He urged all to wait with patience until the new consignment of vaccine arrives. “It’s also necessary to maintain hygiene rules.”

The DGHS official said the government is trying to collect vaccines from the United States and the United Kingdom and other sources.  "We’re hopeful that somehow we’ll be able to collect vaccines from these sources as per our demand.”

Replying to a question, he said no decision has been taken yet on the use of mixed vaccines.

As the highly transmissible Indian variant has been detected in the country, Dr Nazmul said people must wear masks and strictly maintain health safety rules and social distance to keep them safe.