One suspected case of black fungus reported in WB's Siliguri
May 23, 2021
By Tarak Sarkar
Siliguri (West Bengal) [India], May 23 : A 50-year-old woman, a resident of Siliguri's Kulipara is reported to be infected with suspected Mucormycosis, commonly known as black fungus, a post-COVID complication and has been admitted to the ENT ward in North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH).
Speaking to ANI, Dr. Susanta Kumar Roy, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), North Bengal Zone said, "The patient was admitted at NBMCH on May 21, suffering from high sugar and other diseases. But she is under treatment and nothing serious. The test report will come very soon."
Dr Roy stated that the graph of Covid-19 is still high, but the situation will become normal in June.
He also informed that considering that the upcoming third wave of COVID-19 may prove deadly for children as per health experts, the state authorities have been asked to form Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at every hospital.
"During this time the state health department is increasing the medical facilities including beds at the hospitals in the region. Keeping in mind that the third wave of Coronavirus which may prove to be detrimental for children, the state authorities have been asked to prepare PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) at every hospital to fight the virus," said Dr. Roy.
Earlier in the day, the Officer on Special Duty had also also held a meeting with health officials at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) today over the COVID-19 situation in the region.
Meanwhile, a 32-year-old woman died of black fungus infection, becoming the first death due to the disease in West Bengal, a state health department official said on Saturday.
Shampa Chakraborty, a resident of the southern part of the city's Haridevpur area, was admitted to the Sambhunath Pandit Hospital with COVID-19. She was later diagnosed with mucormycosis, he said.
The patient, who was highly diabetic and was on insulin, died on Friday.
At present, five patients are undergoing treatment for the disease in the state and all of them are from neighbouring Bihar and Jharkhand, the official said adding, "We are constantly monitoring their condition."
The official stated that besides constituting an expert committee to deal with black fungus cases, the state health department has formulated an advisory mentioning the warning signs of the disease such as pain and redness around eyes or nose, fever, headache, coughing and shortness of breath along with vomiting blood and ''altered mental status'' - general changes in brain function like confusion, amnesia, loss of alertness and disorientation.
