As Tamil Nadu has been witnessing a rise of Mucormycosis or Black Fungus infection amid battling the rampant spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, state health secretary J Radhakrishnan has on Thursday made a major announcement that Mucormycosis will soon be get tagged as a notifiable disease to tackle its spread in the state. Several states had also announced the infection as a notifiable disease as Mucormycosis is equally deadliest as the pandemic. 

Radhakrishnan said that nine people have been identified to have Mucormycosis so far in Tamil Nadu but the state has reported no fatalities due to the black fungus infection. Addressing the reporters, Radhakrishnan said, "Nine people have Mucormycosis in the state. Of the nine, seven patients are diabetic. Some have infections in their eyes and treatment has been started for all of them. There is no death reported till now." 

He said that Mucormycosis will be spelt as a notifiable disease in the state and a committee has been formed with deans and the Directorate of Public Health (DPH) to review the infection. Radhakrishnan said that a notifiable disease means that if the infection is identified in a patient at a private/govt hospital, then the institution must notify the government. 

By citing that the black fungus infection was present even before the pandemic, Radhakrishnan has appealed to the public not to panic. He requested the people not to be afraid of Mucormycosis and said it is a fungal infection and it affects patients with diabetes, patients continuously taking steroids, or those monitored in ICU for several days, transparent patients, or patients undergoing certain therapies.

He further said that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has asked the health department to make the black fungus infection a notifiable disease as states like Rajasthan and Maharashtra are reporting such cases. The health secretary asserted that Mucormycosis is curable and the state health department has installed a Mucormycosis committee with deans under DPH for reviewing and tackling the disease. He added that the health department has also placed orders with Tamil Nadu Medical Service Corporation to supply more Amphotericin medicines to treat Mucormycosis. 

According to reports, about 90 people in Maharashtra had died of the Black Fungus infection post which the Union government has alerted the state governments to take measures to control the outbreak. On Thursday, the Center had instructed the state governments to declare the black fungus infection as a notifiable disease under the Epidemics Act 1987. 

Must-read: TNS Explainer: What is 'Black Fungus' infection and why it is a cause of worry in India?