Earlier this year, In the month of May, as the delta variant of Covid-19 was affecting millions of people in India, a roar of a second epidemic started coming into rounds. It was the sound of the epidemic of Black fungus or Mucormycosis. Thousands of patients recovering from Covid-19 in India were affected by this fungal infection. If left untreated, this infection has a mortality rate of more than 50%. As case numbers began to pick up, the Indian government ordered tighter surveillance of the infection. By late June, 40,845 mucormycosis cases had been reported, most of which affected the nasal passages, brain, and sinuses. The overwhelming majority of patients (85.5%) were recovering from Covid-19 and more than 3,000 had died. So, tight surveillance and overlook were required to curb the situation. Hence, the Indian Council of Medical Research released guidelines for early detection of the infection. Here is a list of do’s and don’ts that one should follow from the prevention of mucormycosis.
About Black Fungus
Black fungus or, Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection. It is infected by a group of fungi called Mucormycetes. It's a severe fungal infection that can get fatal if not taken proper care of it. These fungi exist everywhere in our nature, especially in the soil and decaying organic matter. The fungus can grow in the brain sinus area, lungs, skin, or in our body’s gastrointestinal system (GI). The treatment of Black The fungus requires a multi-disciplinary approach. It can consist of eye surgeons, ENT specialized doctors, general surgeons, neurosurgeons, among others, depending upon the varsity and intensity of the infection. It requires the Amphotericin-B injection as an antifungal medicine.
Covid Patients are at high risk of the infection if:
They have uncontrolled diabetes
They are patients put under high doses of steroids or have a long duration of treatment with steroids and tocilizumab
They have a weakened immune system due to steroids
They are on oxygen support
They have a prolonged hospital stay/ICU
If they have co-morbidities/cancer/post organ transplant
Warning signs and symptoms of Black Fungus infection
Abnormal black discharge or crusty dryness, or bleeding from the nose
Headache and/or eye pain
Nasal blockage
Eye swelling, double vision, eye-redness, loss of vision, difficulty in the closing eye, inability to open the eyes, prominence of eye
Facial numbness and tingling sensation
Difficulty in chewing or opening of mouth
Do’s
Control blood sugar levels
Monitor blood glucose levels especially after covid-19 recovery
Using steroids judiciously
Using clean sterile water for humidifiers during oxygen therapy
Using antibiotics/antifungals judiciously
Don’ts
Do not miss the warning signs and symbols
Not all cases of blocked noses are cases of mucormycosis. They can be cases of bacterial sinusitis, particularly in the case of immunosuppression by the drugs used to treat covid-19 that weaken the immune system
No one should hesitate to seek aggressive investigation of symptoms for key detection of the infection (KOH staining method, microscopy, culture, MALDI-TOF)
Do not lose crucial time for initiation of treatment of the disease
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