Understanding mucormycosis
THE ORGANISM
• It is an infection by fungal organisms known as mucormycetes, which can enter the body through breathing or skin injuries
• These organisms are typically in abundance in a country like India, and particularly in soil and decaying organic material such as fruit and vegetables but a normally functioning immune system typically fights it off
THE DISEASE
• A mucormycosis infection is often called "black fungus" since it causes blackening or discolouration over the nose
• It is often accompanied with blurred or double vision, chest pain, breathing difficulties and coughing blood, as it infects sinus cavities and can even go up to the brain
• According to the US Centers for Disease Control, mucormycosis has a fatality rate of around 54%, which tends to be higher if someone had a respiratory illness
THE TREATMENT
• It is usually treated with antifungal medicine such as Amphotericin B, posaconazole, or isavuconazole.
• If it has spread significantly, mucormycosis requires surgery to cut away the infected tissue, a process known as debridement – which in some cases require removal of the eyes or large parts of tissues
THE CURRENT OUTBREAK
• The spike at present appears to be a fallout of incorrect Covid-19 treatment or overuse of some drugs.
• Cheap steroid medications used to calm an exaggerated inflammatory response to the coronavirus appears to be the prime trigger, with high prevalence of diabetes making it worse
• According to ICMR D-G Balram Bhargava, the fungus thrives on high sugar, making Covid-19 patients with uncontrolled diabetes particularly vulnerable l Inadequate infection control in hospitals also risks exposing Covid patients to secondary bacterial and fungal infections