Read: What is Black Fungus, its symptoms, causes & precautions
by Zinnia Balli
Chandigarh, May 16, 2021: In December last year, the ENT surgeons at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital had come across more than 12 cases of Coronavirus that triggered deadly Mucormycosis commonly known as Black fungus within 15 days, which causes loss of eyesight, removal of the nose and jaw bone and 50 percent mortality, where there is brain involvement.
This post-COVID complication has recently caught the attention of the government as more states are reporting a rise of Mucormycosis among people who were affected by COVID-19
The rise in cases of this infection has also led to the increase in the demand for Amphotericin B, a drug is prescribed by physicians to patients suffering from this. So what exactly is Black Fungus?
MUCORMYCOSIS is also known as the Black fungus is a very rare infection. It is caused by exposure to mucor mold which is commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables.
It affects the sinuses, the brain, and the lungs and can be life-threatening in diabetic or severely immunocompromised individuals, such as cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS.
Doctors believe mucormycosis, which has an overall mortality rate of 50%, maybe being triggered by the use of steroids, a life-saving treatment for severe and critically ill Covid-19 patients.
Steroids are used to reduce inflammation in the lungs for Covid-19 and appear to help stop some of the damage that can happen when the body's immune system goes into overdrive to fight off coronavirus.
But they also reduce immunity and push up blood sugar levels in both diabetics and non-diabetic Covid-19 patients. It's thought that this drop in immunity could be triggering these cases of mucormycosis.
Click the link below to know in-depth about Black Fungus (Source: ICMR Guidelines)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QRUcxEz32QnhEiAIZkpF2nOkD-88RjfW/view?usp=sharing