Black fungus has claimed five lives of COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at Maharaja Yeshwantrao hospital in Indore, said an official on Tuesday.
The number of such patients under treatment in the hospital till this morning was 67.
"As many as 67 black fungus patients are under treatment at this hospital. The number of such patients in private hospitals is very high. We are unable to procure Amphotericin, a drug used to treat the infection. So far five people have lost their lives due to black fungus while undergoing treatment at our hospital," hospital superintendent Dr PS Thakur said.
"Patients need to be administered at least 30 to 90 doses each of Amphotericin," Dr Thakur added.
Two days ago, the administration sent 100 vials to the hospital which are inadequate for the treatment as the number of patients is very high.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is developing guidelines to treat black fungus.
Besides Madhya Pradesh, cases of black fungus have been reported in the country including Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Telangana, and Bihar.
As per the Union Health Ministry, Mucormycosis or black fungus is a complication caused by a fungal infection.
People catch mucormycosis by coming in contact with the fungal spores in the environment. It can also develop on the skin after the fungus enters the skin through a cut, scrape, burn, or other type of skin trauma.
( With inputs from ANI )
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