As the second wave of the Wuhan virus pandemic rages across the country, another disease in tandem is being reported in several places – Mucormycosis aka the black fungus disease. It was recently announced in Rajasthan and has been reported in Delhi, Chennai and other regions. Here is all you need to know about it.
What is the black fungus?
The black fungus, or the cloud eye fungus, is originally a fungal infection that only affects 1 in 100,000 people in the world. It is also called mucormycosis. The downside of this is that it has an overall mortality rate of 50%. It primarily affects those with severely affected immune systems. Thanks to the fact that the coronavirus infection has left a huge dent in the immune system of most people in India, it is now spreading fast in Rajasthan and the northern part of India.
How is it caused?
It is usually caused when the fungus comes in contact with any kind of skin opening like cut, burn or open wound. It is particularly fatal for those with diabetes and HIV. Certain COVID treatments shoot up the blood sugar levels, causing them to become an easy victim of this disease.
Symptoms of Black Fungus
One should immediately be rushed to the doctor if they are experiencing some kind of these symptoms:
- Facial swelling
- Fever
- Cough
- Chest pain
- Nasal congestion
- Black lesions on the nose
- Abdominal pain on a prolonged basis
While this is not an exhaustive list, this is the most commonly found list of symptoms that have been found in patients in India so far.
Once the fungal moulds attack human sinuses, it soon spreads to the lungs, the brain and the central nervous system.
The disease goes undetected in early days of infection. A CT scan of the sinus can helps doctors to identify the fungal disease.
Black fungus in India
Because of the rising number of cases, several states have declared it a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897. These states include – Rajasthan, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka, and Assam.
The Centre on Thursday had urged the states and Union territories to make black fungus or mucormycosis a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, stating that the infection is leading to prolonged morbidity and mortality among COVID-19 patients
There were several cases where doctors were forced to remove people’s eyes and jawbones to prevent it from entering the brain. One hospital in its capital, Mumbai, reportedly had seen 24 cases in two months, as opposed to six for the entirety of last year.
Treatment
There are currently two drugs that is prescribed for treating mucormycosis – Amphotericin B and Posaconazole – provided the infection is diagnosed early.
Why is the disease prevalent among COVID victims?
It is said that the Steroid treatment increases vulnerability of patients who have had COVID. It is because Steroid doses suppresses the patient’s immune system to keep adverse symptoms in check and thus makes the body accessible for the fungus.
However, a healthy immune system fight the fungus without causing any problems.
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