India is already suffering from the pandemic virus i.e., COVID-19. Now a days a new family of pandemic is emerging in India “BLACK FUNGUS”. So, you think what is black fungus in COVID-19 patients? Mucormycosis, a rare but serious fungal infection, is being detected relatively frequently in Covid-19 patients across India. The disease, also known colloquially as “black fungus”, was made notifiable by the government on Thursday, making it mandatory for states to report both suspected and confirmed cases to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).

1. ANOTHER PUNCH FROM PANDEMIC
VIRUS
India is already suffering fromthe pandemic virus i.e., COVID-
19. Now a days a new family of pandemic is emerging in India
“BLACKFUNGUS”. So, you think whatis black fungus in COVID-
19 patients? Mucormycosis, a rarebut serious fungalinfection,
is being detected relatively frequently in Covid-19 patients across India. The
disease, also known colloquially as “black fungus”, was madenotifiable by the
governmenton Thursday, making it mandatory for states to reportboth
suspected and confirmed cases to the IntegratedDiseaseSurveillance
Programme (IDSP).
Who is at risk? According toAIIMS guidelines, the following category of people
are under higher risk for developing black fungus:
 Patients with uncontrolled diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, and diabetics on
steroids or tocilizumab
 Those on immunosuppressants or anticancer treatment, and patients with
chronic debilitating illness
 Patients on high dosesteroids and or long duration of steroids or
tocilizumab
 Severe COVID-19 cases
 Patients on oxygen support – and needed nasalprongs, by mask, or on
ventilator.
Is India is ready for this kind of pandemic in future like covid-19 and balck fungus?
While many apocalyptic predictions are being made about a post-Covid-19 world,
it can act as a wake-up call for all of us, as individuals, as a society and as a
country. Life after Covid-19 willnot — and should not — be the same. Itwill call
for a change in priorities, in focus and in the way wedo things. The coronavirus
pandemic is a lesson that governments worldwideignoreresearch into infectious
diseases at their own peril. Avian flu, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome),
HARSH KUMAR

2. MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), Ebola, Zika, Nipah, etc, are a clear
example of the warning signals they have sent to us. Moreover, with bacterial
infections becoming increasingly resistantto antibiotics, common infections can
potentially become life-threatening in the future.
As a result, research into infectious diseases started losing sheen in the developed
countries. Globalisation and marketforces meant that even in poor countries
such as India, this kind of research went into the backburner.
India has a very important role to play in this battle. India urgently needs to create
a virus repository with “genomic data”.
ECO-PANIC
The Economic Survey mentions (para 1.15, Vol 2) that “firstorder supply side
disruptions potentially created second round effects on both demand and
supply,” butmade no efforts to quantify those losses. Itis well known in disaster
management literature that both rank ordering of losses and sectorallinkages
assumeimportance in designing a policy response. Decision making for recovery
is sequential rather than simultaneous.