Two women, one from Siliguri and the other from Jalpaiguri, who had been diagnosed as having mucormycosis, commonly known as black fungus, died at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) in Siliguri last night.

The deaths are the first related to the fungal infection in north Bengal during the second wave of Covid-19, officials said. A 50-year-old woman from Pradhannagar in Siliguri had undergone surgery on 24 May after she tested positive for mucormycosis at the NBMCH.

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She had also tested positive for Covid-19 earlier, while she later developed swelling on the right side of her face, fever, blindness, and facial pain. The woman had been diagnosed with uncontrolled diabetes, doctors said. Another 40 year-oldwoman of Rajganj Block in Jalpaiguri district had been admitted in the high dependency unit of the Covid Block at the NBMCH.

The woman had also been suffering from ‘chronic obstructive pulmonary’ disease. According to the doctors, she had also been highly diabetic and suffered from hypertension. Her oxygen saturation level remained at 70 percent. The condition of both the patients was serious from the beginning, the doctors said.

A multidisciplinary team of ophthalmology anesthesia and ENT surgeons performed the surgery on the 50 year old woman. The debridement, along with the removal of upper jaw, eyeball, skin over the face, forehead and other sinuses on the right side had been done, sources said.

“Her condition had been serious. The uncontrolled sugar was also responsible. Her lung was also affected following the Covid-19 infection. She also had septicemia,” said the dean of student affairs at the NBMCH, Dr Sandip Sengupta.

“She died at the Critical Care Unit last night,” said a doctor. Test reports for the other woman suffering from Covid pneumonia had confirmed mucormycosis.

“The doctors had taken all possible steps, but could not save her life. She died late in the night,” Dr Sengupta said. Two more Covid patients diagnosed with mucormycosis are undergoing treatment in the NBMCH Covid Block, sources said.

“We are constantly monitoring their condition,” said an NBMCH doctor. A fungal infection, mucormycosis is commonly seen in Covid-19 patients who are in their recovery phase. The symptoms of the fungal infection include blackening or discoloration over the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain, breathing difficulties and coughing blood.