Health concerns have recently been raised in Iraq following the announcement of four new suspected cases of black fungus disease in Kirkuk province, located in the north of the country. Nabil Hamdi Bushnaq, the general director of the Kirkuk Health Department, stated in an interview with "Sky News Arabia" that "the four patients suspected of having black fungus are all elderly." He added that all four patients suffer from diabetes and are currently receiving antifungal treatments, "with the hope that we can treat them and bring them out of the danger phase."
The health official noted, "We do not have the testing devices in Iraq to detect and diagnose black fungus disease. However, doctors clinically believe these are cases of black fungus, as black discoloration has appeared in some areas of the bodies of the four patients, among other signs of this fungal disease. All previous cases recorded in the country were diagnosed clinically."
Bushnaq continued in his conversation with "Sky News Arabia," saying, "There is no relation to the novel coronavirus. The black fungus is an old disease that has been identified for hundreds of years, and it mainly affects individuals with poorly controlled and high diabetes levels, as well as those with weakened immune systems. The only link between the novel coronavirus and black fungus is that patients infected with the virus, due to their weakened immunity after infection, become more susceptible to black fungus. Fortunately, unlike COVID-19, it is not contagious."
Earlier, cases of infection and death from black fungus were recorded in both Dhi Qar province in the south of the country and Sulaymaniyah in the north, indicating a potential spread of the disease in various regions of Iraq, especially as the country records thousands of COVID-19 cases daily.
Additionally, media reports have circulated mentioning that numerous cases of black fungus infection have emerged in Iraq, particularly among Iraqis returning from India. It is noteworthy that Indian authorities announced on May 20 that a deadly disease threatening the lives of some COVID-19 patients, called mucormycosis or black fungus, was spreading. Diabetic patients and those with weakened immune systems are the most susceptible to this fungal disease.
