Sambalpur: A man suspected to have been infected with black fungus died while undergoing treatment at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Science and Research (VIMSAR) at Burla in the district.
Though his death can't be attributed to black fungus, it can be termed as a suspected case as the patient had some symptoms of mucormycosis, the hospital authorities said.
“He was undergoing treatment at the ICU as he was admitted in a critical condition. The patient was in an unconscious state due to which we couldn't carry out any clinical examinations for mucormycosis,” VIMSAR superintendent Lalmohan Nayak said.
The patient was admitted to the hospital 5-6 days ago, he added.
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Earlier, a Covid-19 patient had succumbed to the black fungus in Bhubaneswar while undergoing treatment at a private hospital. He was the first patient to have lost battle against the deadly fungal infections in State. He was found infected with the deadly fungus a few days after testing positive for Covid-19.
Another patient with black fungus is currently undergoing treatment at the premier health institute in Western Odisha. The patient, a resident of Bargarh, had returned recently from Gujarat.
Many other cases of black fungus have been reported in Odisha, who are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur and other places.
As cases of black fungus or mucormycosis rise, the Odisha government on Thursday declared the infection as a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897.A 'notifiable disease' is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. The information allows the authorities to monitor the disease and provide early warning of possible outbreaks.