Hyderabad: ENT nodal hospital to treat black fungus

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has earmarked the Government ENT Hospital as the nodal hospital for black fungus treatment.

Following this, the hospital has started treating patients suffering from black fungus. About 20 such patients are undergoing treatment at the ENT hospital at present. Gandhi and ENT hospitals are the centres for treating black fungus cases and more hospitals are likely to be declared as centres, if need be, officials said.

Mucormycosis, doctors say, is not a fatal disease and can be treated if diagnosed in time. There are medicines available. In severe cases, they may have to go in for Endoscopy Nasal Surgery to remove the fungus from the affected parts. About two surgeries were being performed every day at the ENT hospital, according to Superintendent of the Government Hospital Dr Shankar.

"The patient needs to take liposomal Amphotericin B injection after surgery for seven days and the patient recovers in 10 days. The hospital has so far treated six people and are now undergoing post-surgery treatment.

Dr Shankar appealed to the people not to panic about black fungus. It is a rare disease and it doesn't affect all the Covid patients. Only patients with low immunity and uncontrolled diabetes, who recovered from Covid-19, will get affected with black fungus. State provides free and best treatment in the ENT hospital, he said.

He said the hospital has enough stocks of Amphotericin B injection. As against 20 patients, they have over 100 injections in stock, he said.