Tinsukia: A 53-year-old man died of mucormycosis, commonly known as black fungus, in Dibrugarh on Thursday morning, becoming the first death due to the fungal infection in upper Assam.
The development came almost six weeks after Assam reported the first death due to rhinocerebral mucormycosis at a private hospital in Guwahati. On May 19, a 27-year-old man from Nagaon district died due to the infection.
Confirming the incident, Assam Medical College and Hospital superintendent Prashanta Dihingia said that the patient was admitted on June 15, days after he tested negative for COVID-19. “He complained difficulty in respiration at the time of admission and was later diagnosed with black fungus,” he said.
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“Unfortunately, the patient died due to black fungus in the morning,” he added.
According to sources, Subhash Sahu was a resident of Lakhimpur district and had tested negative for COVID-19 on June 12.
Currently, Assam has reported more than half a dozen cases of black fungus from various parts of the state.
