Govt Allocates Additional 30,100 Vials Of Amphotericin-B To States, UTs: Gowda

The government has allocated 30,100 vials of Amphotericin-B to states and Union Territories (UTs), Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers DV Sadananda Gowda said on Monday.

Amphotericin-B is used to treat Mucormycosis, also known as Black Fungus, which damages the nose, eyes, sinuses, and sometimes even the brain.

'Additional 30,100 vials of #Amphotericin-B have been allocated to all the States/UTs and Central Institutions today,' Gowda tweeted.

The government has allocated 5,900 vials to Maharashtra, followed by 5,630 vials to Gujarat as part of the fresh allocation.

States like Andhra Pradesh (1,600), Madhya Pradesh (1,920), Telangana (1,200), Uttar Pradesh (1,710), Rajasthan (3,670), Karnataka (1,930), Haryana (1,200) also received additional vials to counter the disease.

Last week, the government had allocated 29,250 additional vials of Amphotericin-B drug to states and Union Territories (UTs), Mucormycosis is a very rare infection which is caused by exposure to mucor mould which is commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables.

It affects the sinuses, the brain and the lungs and can be life-threatening in diabetic or severely immuno-compromised individuals such as cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS.

The doctors in India are documenting an alarming number of cases of Mucormycosis among patients with COVID-19 and those who have recently recovered.

They believe that Mucormycosis may be triggered by the use of steroids, a life-saving treatment for severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients.

(PTI)