Iraq records cases of lethal 'black fungus' infection in Covid-19 patients

Iraq's health service is already strained, with medical oxygen and ventilators in short supply

According to WHO figures released at the weekend, Iraq has recorded more than 1.2 million cases of coronavirus and nearly 16,500 deaths from Covid-19, the disease that results. Vaccination efforts have reached about 440,000 people, or about 0.7 per cent of the population. The human cost is counted in many ways. Last month, a hospital full of coronavirus patients caught fire after an oxygen canister exploded, killing 82 people. Getty Images

An Iraqi man waits for his wife, who is a Covid-19 patient at Ibn Al Khatib Hospital in Baghdad. AFP

Osama Mohammad, an Iraqi nurse who volunteers to take care of coronavirus patients in their homes, provides medical care to 68-year-old Majeed Allaw at his house in Baghdad. EPA

A nurse gives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to a patient at Kindi Hospital in Baghdad. AFP

An Iraqi woman cleans up around empty oxygen bottles outside Ibn Al Khatib Hospital in Baghdad. AFP

Hospital trolleys left outside Ibn Al Khatib Hospital in Baghdad. AFP

Queues for the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at Kindi Hospital in Baghdad. AFP

Cases of the deadly black fungus infection, which is hitting India hard, have been recorded in Iraq, the country's Health Ministry said on Sunday.

"This disease is well-known and has existed for years now, can be easily diagnosed and can be treated," ministry spokesman Saif Al Badr told The National. 

“We are registering it among other consequences of Covid-19, but we are still seeing limited numbers nationwide.”

The country has only registered one death from black fungus in the southern city of Nasiriyah, he said, adding that there may have been a small number of other cases that were not registered.

Black fungus disease, also known as mucormycosis, is being reported to be increasing among patients recovering from Covid-19, mainly in India.

The rare disease, which has a 50 per cent mortality rate, has been linked to the overuse of steroids, which can affect the immune system, during the treatment of coronavirus.

Most vulnerable to the infection are patients with diabetes and those who are immunocompromised. It initially develops in the nasal passages and can later spread into the eyes and brain.

Treatment is often based on surgery, which can involve removing parts of the skull, jaw or even the eyes.

Iraq is still seeing a high number of coronavirus cases with daily numbers ranging from 3,000 to 4,000.

The country registered 3,154 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections to 1,221,678, according to Health Ministry figures.

The ministry also reported 30 deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 16,518.

Iraq’s vaccine rollout began in late March, but it has been faltering, mainly because of vaccine hesitancy among Iraqis.

As of Saturday, only 637,455 Iraqi citizens have been vaccinated. Iraq’s population stands at about 40 million people.

Authorities are still imposing a partial lockdown, from 9pm to 5am.

India has had about 12,000 cases and more than 300 deaths from black fungus in the past few months, according to the Indian Health Ministry.

Other countries have reportedly recorded many Covid-linked black-fungus cases, including Pakistan and Russia.

On May 25, Bangladesh reported its first death caused by black fungus.