Committee on epidemic fails to meet even once
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, June 4: Though Government of Jammu and Kashmir recently declared Mucormycosis (Black Fungus) reported among COVID-19 patients as an ‘Epidemic’ and made it a notifiable disease under Epidemic Diseases Act but authorities of Government Medical College Jammu seems unprepared to tackle this disease which is spreading its tentacles very fast in the UT.
Official sources told Excelsior that the non-seriousness of the administration in tackling the Mucormycosis can be gauzed from the fact that no formal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are in place for management of this epidemic till date and moreover, a committee framed to tackle this epidemic did not meet even once till date.
Sources informed that the first case of Mucormycosis was detected in J&K on May 21 in a 40-year-old man who was suffering from diabetes and was immunocompromised. They said as on June 4, there are 14 confirmed and 8 suspected cases of Mucormycosis in the UT and 4 persons have succumbed to this infection while 18 are under treatment in different hospitals.
Giving more details, they said of total 22 cases (14 confirmed and 8 suspected), highest 11 cases have been reported from Jammu district, 5 from Kathua district, 2 each from Srinagar and Udhampur districts and 1 each from Poonch and Reasi districts. The four deaths have been reported from Kathua (2), Jammu (1) and Poonch (1) districts, they added.
Sources said though the Mucormycosis cases are on rise in J&K, particularly in Jammu division as out of 18 confirmed cases, 16 have been reported from Jammu province but authorities seems to have learned no lesson from the unabated deaths in the month of May this year due to COVID.
They regretted that the GMC authorities have not taken any concrete measure to control this declared epidemic which is likely to become another leading cause of death among COVID patients and COVID survivors, if they had long history of hospitalization or having uncontrolled diabetes or any other risk factor.
“The lack of proper awareness on what leads to black fungus and what measures are necessary for its control in COVID Hospital are largely missing in the priority of administration,” sources said, adding, although the disease is not contagious but if Hospital have no infection control policy in place and no proper SOPs for management of Mucormycosis, then it is likely to increase in its incidence and become another reason of deaths in coming days.
Several guidelines to prevent the Mucormycosis has been issued by leading Apex institutes like AIIMS or PGIMER, sources said but rued that rarely any of these measures like surface disinfection of panels, trolleys and support arms of mechanical ventilators with alcohol based disinfectants, use of disposable circuit tubing and closed suctions, and disinfection of HFNC equipment and other equipment are being followed in GMC Jammu.
Similarly, they said, when a new patient reports, ideally new oxygen delivery assembly and nebulisation assembly is given to prevent the risk of Mucormycosis in new patient but till date no such SOP is in operation in GMC Jammu. Further, various infection control measures as well as rational antibiotic policy is also missing from GMC Jammu protocols, which is likely to increase the chance of super infections including Mucormycosis, they added.
Sources also maintained that the mandatory Eye, ENT and Dental check-up of the patients complaining of mouth ulcers, difficulty in swallowing or hyperemia in eye is missing at GMC Jammu. They further informed that a committee was made to tackle Mucormycosis in GMC Jammu but till date not a single meeting of the committee has taken place nor did they issue any recommendation in effectively preventing the Mucormycosis.
They said all these things expose the non-seriousness of GMC administration in controlling another public health emergency in the form of Mucormycosis. Further, they said the most important medicine in the management of Mucormycosis i.e. Injection Liposomal Amphotericin B is not available in GMC Jammu for many days, thus pushing the Mucormycosis patients toward sure death warrant as the medicine is not freely available in the market.
Sources said the need of the hour is that the Government should not only intensify the awareness campaign on Mucormycosis through print and electronic media but also take other remedial measures including improvement of hospital hygiene and making availability of Injection Liposomal Amphotericin B immediately in the hospitals in adequate quantity.
When contacted, an officer of the GMC administration on conditions of anonymity, told Excelsior that there is acute shortage of Injection Liposomal Amphotericin B, which is used to treat Mucormycosis, throughout the country but the Government of India is providing them medicines for confirmed cases once they updated the same on Government portal.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
