From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, May 16: The treatment for black fungus disease caused in the Covid infected people, which has been started on an experimental basis in the Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru will be extended to other districts too, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr K Sudhakar said in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Dr Sudhakar, who visited the Bowring Hospital, spoke to reporters and said he will discuss with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on whether free of cost treatment can be provided to people suffering from black fungus complications.

The Covid patients with very low immunity levels or being subjected to high steroid drugs or high diabetes were more likely to be afflicted with black fungus when getting treatment, he said.

The black fungus complication will start from the nose and likely to damage eyes with risk of even losing eyesight. Lack of proper and timely treatment may even lead to deaths, the minister explained and mentioned that he has discussed with medical experts in the State when the black fungus infections were first detected in Maharashtra.

Bowring hospital in Bengaluru will start treatment for black fungus on an experimental basis from Monday itself and subsequently it will be extended to all district hospitals and medical college hospitals, Dr Sudhakar said.

The Minister said a committee consisting of 3-4 experts is being created, which will decide and recommend the kind of treatment to be provided.

Treatment for black fungus will require continuous treatment for 7 weeks and would cost Rs 2 to 3 lakh, he said and promised to take up the issue of providing free of cost treatment to the people suffering from black fungus with the Chief Minister.

Anybody suffering black fungus must immediately consult doctors, Dr Sudhakar said pointing out that the Centre will be providing Amphotericin drugs required for the treatment. ``We have asked the Centre to supply 20,000 doses of the drug, he said.

The minister appealed to the people not to take steroids without medical prescription and also asked the doctors not to give immunity boosting medicines unnecessarily.

The positivity rate has not come down in other districts, except Bengaluru. The opposition leaders will be apprised of the situation, he said.

Caution against Dengue menace

Dr Sudhakar cautioned the people to be careful of the Dengue menace with the onset of monsoon. People should take necessary precautions to avoid storing water, which helps in mosquito breeding. If stored water is allowed for a week, mosquitoes were likely to breed and it will be serious problem, he said pointing out that every year 15,000 to 20,000 people suffer from Dengue in the State.

Any kind of fever, body aches, omitting and muscle pulls or any other symptoms must be immediately reported to doctors, he said.