Madhya Pradesh: As cases of black fungus or mucormycosis rise in various states, there is a mad scramble for the anti-fungal drug Amphotericin B that is used to treat the disease. Close to 1,200 cases of the fungal disease, which results from post-Covid complications in people with diabetes who have been administered steroids for Covid treatment, have been reported from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh alone. The rare infection is caused by a fungus named mucor, which is found on wet surfaces. General symptoms of the black fungus infection include headache, fever, pain under the eyes, nasal or sinus congestion, and partial loss of vision.

Gujarat government officials said close to 900 black fungus cases have been reported in the past month with a majority of them admitted in the past fortnight. About 40 deaths related to black fungus have also been reported from different parts of the state.

The cases of black fungus are high in Rajkot and the Saurashtra region. Surat Medical College has created a separate ward for such cases. “A separate 250-bed mucormycosis ward has been established in Rajkot,” said Dr. RS Trivedi, medical superintendent of Surat Medical College.

A patient in Jabalpur, Arpit Rai, said, “I was admitted 26 days ago for Covid-19 treatment but now I am suffering from mucormycosis. One of my eyes has been infected badly and I need Amphotericin B but it not available here.”

The injection is not easily available even in the capital city of Bhopal. AIIMS, Bhopal, director Sarman Singh said, “We have not received any guidelines and instructions regarding the treatment of black fungus from the Central government so we are not providing medicines to patients. They are arranging [it] themselves.”

MP health minister Prabhuram Chaudhary said, “We are trying to get the anti-fungal medicine from pharma companies in Gujarat. Soon, we should have 2,000 injections.”