SRILAGNA SARKAR, AMITY UNIVERSITY KOLKATA
A new deadly disease has been recently seen alarming the health authorities amid the looming dangers due to the coronavirus pandemic. A very rare but deadly fungal infection “Mucormycosis”, within a fortnight has affected people in parts of Mumbai and Ahmedabad causing a 50% mortality rate in affected patients. The doctors have reported that the fungal infection “Mucormycosis” though not new, but is triggered by COVID-19. At this time in most cases, it was found that the patients affected with the infection were seen to have recovered from COVID-19 in the recent past. The fungal disease, Black fungus or Mucormycosis (aka zygomycosis; a rare critical fungal infection caused by a group of molds, micromycetes) has been a cause of death in immunodeficient individuals, of patients during transplants and ICU for a long. However, here the cause of grave concern is the rapid increase of Mycormycosis in unexpected COVID-19 recovering patients.
In Ahmedabad 44 were diagnosed with the fungal infection out of which 9 people have succumbed to the deadly fungal infection. But, reports suggest it also resulted in complete loss of eyesight for some patients and several other side effects. In the past 15 days, ENT surgeons have operated on over 50% of patients with COVID-19 triggered Mycormycosis, with loss of eyesight, removal of nose and jawbone, and deaths in those with brain involvement.
Experts suggest COVID-19 patients circumspect as they have been given steroids and their body’s immune system is weakened and vulnerable for another virus like Mycormycosis to attack, as it is a ubiquitous fungus found in plants, animals, and in air. However, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has clarified the fungus isn’t harmful to most people(the ones with strong immune) and that the virus isn’t contagious.
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