Nepal has reported its first death from mucormycosis, or 'black fungus', a deadly infection that affects thousands of coronavirus patients in neighboring India.

A health ministry spokesman told AFP that at least ten cases of the disease have now been reported in Nepal.

However, according to the hospital, the man who died of "black fungus" tested negative for the coronavirus.

Mucormycosis, which used to be a very rare disease, is very aggressive and sometimes surgeons have to remove a patient's eyes, nose, and jaw so that it does not reach the brain. The mortality rate is over 50 percent.

Thousands of people in India have contracted black mold in recent weeks as a result of a wave of infections blamed on the overuse of steroids to treat millions of patients in the country with Covid.

Nepal saw a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in early April, peaking in mid-May with more than 9,000 cases per day. Daily growth has eased slightly, but the health care system remains under pressure.

More than 7,000 people have died in the country since the start of the pandemic.