India battling black fungus

Brutal flesh-eating infection linked to variant, doctors say

The flesh-eating black fungus killing hundreds across India could be related to the country’s highly infectious coronavirus variant, specialists say.

Cases of mucormycosis, a fungal infection that causes blackening or discolouration over the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain, breathing difficulties and coughing blood, have been growing under India’s second wave of Covid-19.

Doctors say the Indian variant — also known as Delta — is causing unprecedented damage to the pancreas of otherwise healthy people, triggering sudden onset diabetes and soaring blood glucose levels — in turn allowing the fungus to thrive.

Across India, 11,000 patients have been struck down by the infection after recovering from Covid-19.

The sudden explosion in cases during India’s brutal second wave was initially blamed on overprescription of steroids during Covid-19 treatment.

Prior to Covid-19, Seven Star Hospital would see several mucormycosis cases in a year.

But since mid-March, Dr Shailesh Kothalkar, the hospital’s leading ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon, has treated more than 280 patients and operated on 151 people, during gruelling 18-hour days at work.

“We need more investigation into this,” says Kothalkar. “Around 40 per cent more patients are developing diabetes after having Covid-19 during this second wave.”

Across Maharashtra, exhausted doctors warn that while exposure to steroids was a contributory factor in some patients, mucormycosis cases among diabetes patients exploded

Over the last five days, we’ve barely slept, we’ve done 40 surgeries.

Dr Shrinivas Chavan

only after the Delta variant emerged. Children as young as 12 are known to have developed symptoms.

“I had seen 45 patients in my entire career and now we have had 66 patients admitted in just one month. Over the last five days, we’ve barely slept, we’ve done 40 surgeries,” explains Dr Shrinivas Chavan, the head of the ENT department at Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Hospital.

Prior to March 1, there had been just 41 recorded cases of corona virus induced mucormycosis worldwide. Over the past week, there has been a spate of cases in India’s neighbours, including Nepal and Bangladesh, where Delta has become dominant.

Doctors say early detection is critical to stem the march of the fungus. If it is allowed to progress for even several days, the fatality rate can be as high as 50 per cent. In Nagpur’s Seven Star Hospital, ward after ward is filled with patients who had recovered from Covid-19 yet, despite being previously healthy, were hit by mucormycosis symptoms.

Vikram Trivedi, 38, is one. He needs help from three nurses just to walk. Five days ago he had his left eyeball, maxillary sinus and the roof of his mouth removed to save his life.

At the same hospital, Jijabai Thakare was wheeled into the emergency room by her two sons shortly before the Telegraph left.

The 63-year-old reached Nagpur from her remote village of Paramboh three days after developing symptoms. Already, her left side was paralysed. Days later, Thakare died.