COVID-19 Pandemic: Several patients with Black Fungus detected in SL

Sri Lanka's Health Ministry said patients with the Black Fungus had been detected from several areas of the country amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deputy Director General of Health Services Hemantha Herath told the media on Wednesday that the Black Fungus had been detected on patients infected with Covid-19, who were under treatment in the Colombo National Hospital, Kurnegala Hospital and Ratnapura Hospital, among others, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The symptoms of this disease develop depending on the place where the fungus appears on the body. The fungus can be found on the skin, around the eyes, nose, brain and lungs," Herath said.

"We have noticed that people with an extremely low immune system are prone to this fungus," he added.

He further said the Black Fungus did not spread from person to person and there was no possibility of it turning into an epidemic.

According to officials, Black Fungus has been found in Sri Lanka since 2019.

However, this was the first time that Covid-19 patients had been infected with the fungus.