Doctors in Kashmir have stressed that the Black Fungus is not a communicable disease and asked people not to fall prey to misinformation and rumours.
Prof Tariq Qureshi, head department of Ophthalmology at GMC Srinagar said that Black Fungus was a serious illness but “extremely uncommon”. “It has not been seen by us at this department in COVID19 patients till date, although it does affect eyes and can result in vision loss,” he said.
He said it was very important to understand that it did not spread through contact. “Even if you are attending to the patient, you will not get it,” he said.
Prof Afroz Khan, Ophthalmologist, senior faculty at the same department said the disease had a very high mortality. “Basically, it is the ENT surgeon who can detect and treat it,” he said. He said a suspected case must be examined by a competent ENT specialist. “Early detection can save lives,” he said.
Prof Naveed Nazir Shah, HoD Chest Medicine at GMC Srinagar also said that the Black Fungus was not a new disease, neither was it contagious. “We just need to avoid self medication like steroids, identify high risk patients and keep blood sugar under control,” he said.