Under the title "Black Fungus Resurfaces in Iraq: Announcement of a Death in Kirkuk," Sky News reported that cases of black fungus infections and deaths seem to have re-emerged in Iraq, with Kirkuk governorate recording its first announced death due to this fungal disease. This was confirmed by Dr. Nabil Hamdi Bushnaq, Director General of the Health Department in Kirkuk, in an interview with "Sky News Arabic," stating: "A 55-year-old woman passed away; she was suffering from severe and excessive high blood sugar, with readings exceeding 600. It seems that she was taking unprescribed medications and neglected her medical condition, which contributed to her infection with black fungus. Doctors noticed black spots around her eye and black fluid leaking from her nasal cavity. We administered antifungal medication, but unfortunately, she passed away due to the acute rise in blood sugar and her weakened immunity."
He added: "Her case was diagnosed three days ago, and there are certainly many other cases, some of which are unreported and unknown to us as official health authorities. The situation is exacerbated by the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and the increased infection rates in Kirkuk and Iraq in general, as diabetic patients, those with weakened immunity, and those taking immunosuppressive drugs, when infected with the novel coronavirus, often develop black fungus, which, while non-contagious, frequently leads to the patient's death."
The health director of Kirkuk continued: "This is the first announced death from black fungus in Kirkuk, but there have undoubtedly been other death cases before. ENT doctors here confirm that they have witnessed such deaths due to black fungus in private clinics, but these have not been documented or publicly announced."
The medical official concluded: "The key here is to control the wide spread of COVID-19, which is the primary factor in the surge of black fungus infections. The only way to curb the virus is to expand the vaccination campaign against it. For example, here in Kirkuk, our vaccination centers against the novel coronavirus remained open throughout the holiday and on Fridays, in an attempt to vaccinate as many citizens as possible, which would lead to a relative decrease in the spread of this deadly virus."
Several cases of black fungus infection and death have been reported in various Iraqi governorates, including Dhi Qar and Najaf, in recent weeks. According to the World Health Organization, black fungus is an extremely rare disease that does not spread from person to person and affects only those with severely compromised immunity. Infection occurs due to exposure to fungi present in the surrounding environment, when inhaling microbes that subsequently infect the lungs and sinuses, and may spread to the brain or eyes.
