Black Fungus is not Epidemic, MoH says

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Ministry of Health assured on Tuesday that Mucurmycosis, a.k.a the "Black Fungus", is not an "Epidemic disease", stressing that it outdates the novel Coronavirus "SARS-CoV-2" that causes COVID-19.

A member of the medical media team in the Ministry of Health, Roba Falah, said in a statement to Shafaq News Agency, "the Black Fungus is a quite rare fungal infection. It does not disseminate from a person to another. i.e., it is not an epidemiological disease."

"This infection is caused by exposure to molds that are commonly found in soil, fertilizers, poor hygiene. It is indolent in immunocompetent individuals. It only affects immunocompromised patients like diabetics, patients on long-course steroids, or immunosuppression."

Yesterday, Monday, Iraq registered a mortality case from Mucurmycosis in Dhi Qar governorate. The case is the first of its kind, according to a medical source. 

Mucormycosis is a subtype of rare, but fatal, fungal infections. It is caused by a group of fungus named Mucorales.  It usually infects the sinuses, brain, and lungs but can affect other parts of the body. It is particularly dangerous to those who are immunocompromised or have high blood sugar levels. The mortality rate among those with AIDS is close to 100%.

In early May, doctors in India began raising the alarm about a rise in mucormycosis. 

Many of those being infected are COVID-19 patients or recently recovered COVID-19 patients whose immune systems have been weakened by the virus or who have underlying conditions, most notably diabetes.

In the past few weeks, thousands of black fungus cases have been reported across the country, with hundreds hospitalized and at least 90 dead. Two states in India have declared it an epidemic, and the central government has made it a notifiable disease.