Doctors remove eye of patient infected with black fungus

A COVID-19 recovered patient in Tirur, 26 kms from here, had to have one eye removed by doctors after he was infected with black fungus.

Doctors removed the eye as they feared spreading of the fungus to his brain.

Sources in the Health Department said the patient was admitted to Manjeri Medical College Hospital on April 25 after testing positive for coronavirus.

The 62-year-old patient of Eloor near Tirur also had pneumonia but recovered from it recently.

However, he had severe headache and facial pain recently while he was taking post-Covid rest at home.

He was taken to an eye clinic in Kottakkal on May 5 and later referred to MIMS hospital in Kozhikode last week.

MIMS Hospital CEO Farhan told PTI that the patient infected with black fungus (mucormycosis) was admitted a week ago and doctors removed his left eye to prevent the



infection from spreading to his brain.

Diabetic for a long time, the patient Valiya Parambil Abdul Khader is recovering at the hospital, sources close to the patient said.

There have been cases of mucormycosis infection found in immunocompromised Covid-19 recovered patients from several parts of the country in the second wave of Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said there was no need to panic over the black fungus cases being reported in the State.

He said 15 mucormycosis cases have been reported in the State so far.

According to Vijayan, it is not a newly found disease in the country. He said mucormycosis was reported in the country earlier also.

The world's 40 per cent of such cases are reported in India, he said adding that the diabetic patients are more prone to get infected with this disease.