False: The black fungus can spread through farm chickens.

Black fungus does not spread from poultry. The infection is seen usually in people with a weak immune response.Mucormycosis is a fungal infection detected among patients who have recovered or recovering from COVID-19. This infection affects patients who have diabetes and a weakened immune system. The Indian government has declared it an epidemic as the number of such cases has increased. Amid this, a social media post went viral claiming that black fungus can spread through farm chickens and advises people not to consume chicken for few days. The viral post includes a screenshot of an NDTV report with the image of chickens. On searching, we found the original NDTV article dated May 8, 2021. The article is about the bird flu detected at a poultry farm in Ludhiana, Punjab, and has no relation with Black fungus infection. The CDC states that mucormycosis does not spread between people or between people and animals and can occur in people who have health problems with a poor immune response. A Twitter post by Dr. Pramesh CS, director of Tata Memorial Hospital, also addresses common fear about black fungus. He says that the indiscriminate use of steroids in treating COVID-19 and uncontrolled diabetes is the main cause of the fungus and does not spread by being in contact with someone else who already has the disease. We mark the claim as false as an unrelated image is used to spread fake news about Black fungus. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.