The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday declared black fungus or ’Mucormycosis’ an epidemic disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act- 1897 in the Union Territory.
The order by the J&K administration comes days after the Union Territory reported its first death due to black fungus on Friday, when a 40-year-old Covid-19 recovered patient died of mucormycosis at Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration also extended the COVID curfew, which was supposed to end on Monday, by another week till May 31 in all 20 districts of the Union Territory.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by sector 2 of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 (Act no 3 of 1897), the Lt Governor of the Union Territory of J&K hereby notify Mucormycosis as an epidemic,” read an order issued by Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education Department , Atal Dulloo.
The order further said that all the government and private health facilities, medical colleges will follow the guidelines for screening, diagnosis, management of Mucormycosis, issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, government of J&K as amended from time to time and make it mandatory for all these facilities to report suspected and confirmed cases to Health Department through District Level Chief Medical Officers and Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP).
“No person, institution or organization will spread any information or material for management of Mucormycosis without prior permission from Director Health Services, Jammu/Kashmir,” it added.
