In continuation of the Covid-19 sensitization and awareness activities, Faculty of Dentistry, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) organized an online lecture on “Black fungus: All you need to know” on 25th May 2021 on Webex platform. The lecture was organized to create awareness and clear doubts about “Black ungusa.k.aMucormycosis” which is on the rise across the country during the ongoing second wave of the pandemic that continues to batter India.
The guest speaker for the programme was Prof (Dr) Ishwar Singh, Director Professor, Former Head of department Otorhinolaryngology & Head Neck Surgery, Maulana Azad Medical College and Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi.
Prof Najma Akhtar, Vice Chancellor, JMI was the Chief Patron for the programme. Addressing the gathering, Prof Akhtar updated the current status of the rising cases of the disease pan-India and said that till now 14 states have already registered this as a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
Being inquisitive with this unknown disease, she introduced the speaker to the audience and appreciated the organizing team to have timely organized the programme, relevant in the current scenario.Earlier, in his opening remarks, Prof (Dr) Sanjay Singh, Dean, Faculty of Dentistry, JMI and the organizing chairperson of the programme, shared his views on the present scenario of the pandemic and mucormycosis.
The 45 min lecture by Prof (Dr) Ishwar Singh was a very informative session tackling all the basic and scientific information of the disease, its aetiology or the cause, clinical manifestations, diagnostic aids and treatment possibilities.The key take-home messages were:•Black Fungus is a misnomer. The fungus is not black but its clinical representation is blackening/ necrosis of the tissues it affects.•It not a new disease. It is as opportunistic infection in patients happening with compromised immune system and therefore more in COVID recovering patients.
A good control over diabetes/ blood sugar and judicious use of steroids in COVID patients is important for prevention of black fungus in this pandemic•Early diagnosis and prompt treatment is the key to reduce morbidity occurring due to this life threatening disease.The lecture witnessed an overwhelming participation of 706 participants from JMI and other universities. The participants included doctors and general public from Delhi-NCR and other parts of the country. After the lecture, there was a question-answer session involving the queries from the inquisitive audience. The session was well conducted by Prof (Dr) Neeta Kumar, Professor-Incharge, Pathology and Organizing secretary of the event.The programme was hosted by Dr Harneet Kaur, Associate Professor, Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, JMI under the enormous guidance and technical support from Dr. Kazim Naqvi , Director Centre for Information Technology, JMI.
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