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Egypt admits it has cases of black fungus disease

June 2, 2021 at 12:02 pm

An Egyptian man who recovered from Covid-19 donates blood at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt on 22 July 2020 [KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images)

The Egyptian government has now admitted that there are cases of the black fungus disease in the country after previously denying there was an outbreak.

Dr. Ehab Kamel, assistant for medical education to the minister of health, said at a press conference on Monday that treatment for mucormycosis – black fungus disease – has begun, medicine is available and that some people have already recovered.

At the end of May the Ministry of Health denied that there was an outbreak in the country even though head of the scientific committee to combat covid in Egypt, Hossam Hosni, said that there were some cases possibly related to coronavirus infections due to the excessive intake of some treatments and antibiotics.

The news spread in Egypt following a video clip of the brother of the late Egyptian actor Samir Ghanem who said that this brother died after black fungus disease infected his eyes.

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According to Hosni, black fungus can be treated if the diagnosis is made early but if it gets to a late stage then part of the patient’s body may need to be removed to save him.

Doctors in India are fighting black fungus disease, which has affected both recovering and recovered COVID-19 patients.

Mucormycosis is caused by exposure to mucor mould commonly found in soil, plants, manure, decaying fruit, vegetables and in the nose and mucus of healthy people.

It has affected several patients in India with some having to have an eye removed to stop the disease spreading to their brain.

The disease can be life-threatening for diabetics or patients with a compromised immune system such as people with cancer, HIV or AIDS.

Doctors in India believe that black fungus disease is triggered by the use of steroids.

Both India and Egypt are currently preparing for a likely third wave of the coronavirus.