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Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday declared black fungus (Mucormycosis) an epidemic.

A notification regarding the same was issued by Health and Medical Education Department of the Union Territory under Section 2 of the Epidemic Disease Act 1897. This comes few days after the Centre directed all the states and UTs to make black fungus a notifiable disease.

According to the notification, all the government and private health facilities and medical colleges are required to follow the guidelines for screening, diagnosis and management of the disease issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and J&K government as amended from time to time.

The guidelines make it mandatory for all such facilities to report suspected and confirmed cases to the health department through district-level officers and Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP).

The notification further read, “no person, institution or organisation will use any print, electronic or any other media for Mucormycosis without prior permission from Director Health Service Jammu/ Kashmir.” The DHS will constitute a committee headed by Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the concerned district, which will have specialist of internal Medicine, Ophthalmology, ENT and Epidemiologist as members to review any violations.

The violators will be punished under Section 188 of Indian Penal Code. The UT reported its first death due to black fungus on Friday.