STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The State Health and Family Welfare Department has taken the occurrence of black fungus seriously even though it stopped short of declaring it an epidemic. In a notification issued on Wednesday, the Department made it mandatory for all government & private health institutions and medical colleges to inform the occurrence of black fungus to the State Health Department at the district level through the Joint Directors of Health Services.
The notification said that even though only one case of black fungus has been detected so far in Assam, the detection of black fungus cases has been more in other states of the country. Since the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare declared black fungus as a 'notifiable disease' under Section 2 of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 the occurrence of this fungus has to be taken seriously, the notification said.
The expert committee on black fungus formed with the heads of departments of five departments of the GMCH (Gauhati Medical College and Hospital) did say that black fungus is a rare disease occurring in one among nearly 1.50 lakh people. The committee further said that black fungus can be cured when detected early as it has medicines.