"Black fungus" cases rise to 10,000 in India, minister says
From CNN's Esha Mitra in New Delhi
Cases of "black fungus" in India have risen to 10,000, the junior minister responsible for chemicals and fertilizers on Tuesday.
The disease, called mucormycosis, is a rare and potentially deadly infection that is increasingly being detected among recovered Covid patients in the country, especially those with diabetes.
“We started seeing it all of a sudden from the second week of May and within 15 days it has reached 10,000 cases,” minister Mansukh Mandaviya told local media ANI.
At least 120 deaths have been recorded in Maharashtra state, home to the most populous city Mumbai, according to CNN affiliate CNN-News 18. The state’s health minister Rajesh Tope said 2,245 cases of the disease have been recorded in Maharashtra alone.