Person dies of black fungus, suspect BIRDEM physicians

A person died under treatment at BIRDEM General Hospital, Dhaka, three days ago was suspected to be suffering from mucormycosis, widely known as black fungus. The hospital authorities said this on Tuesday.

The 65-year-old patient died at the capital’s BIRDEM General Hospital three days ago, hospital’s respiratory medicine department head professor M Delwar Hossain told Prothom Alo.

The patient had been suffering from uncontrolled diabetics and kidney disease. He had recovered from Covid-19, but he did not show any sign of mucormycosis infection during the treatment. It is being suspected after his death, Delwar Hossain added.

Another patient diagnosed with mucormycosis is receiving treatment at the BIRDEM hospital while yet another patient has been shifted to another hospital.

Delwar Hossain told Prothom Alo that the 55-year-old patient from Satkhira has been receiving treatment at a cabin at the BIRDEM. The person received treatment of Covid-19 at Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) a month ago, but he returned home after recovery. As he returned to the hospital with fever again, physicians at KMCH referred him to BIRDEM.

The patient has been suffering from dietetics for 4-5 years on top of being diagnosed with Covid-19. As the patient’s fever and cough didn’t improve, physicians prescribed tuberculosis medicines. Now the patient has been found to have been suffering from mucormycosis, he added.

Delwar Hossain further said the condition of the patient receiving treatment at BIRDEM is stable and has been given medicines, but those are very expensive. So, officials at the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) have been contacted over the medicine, he added.

Microbiologist, public health expert and former director (disease control) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) professor Be-Nazir Ahmed said mucormycosis is not a new type of fungus. Persons with a weak immune system are at more risk of mucormycosis.

Professor Delwar Hossain said, “Patients suffering uncontrolled diabetes are more prone to be infected with mucormycosis. Besides, patients receiving steroid to treat Covid-19 also may get infected of it.”

However, mucormycosis is not a contagious disease. Neighbouring India has reported more than 8,800 cases of infections so far.