APART FROM COVID-19, INDIA SADDLED BY ‘BLACK FUNGUS’ INFECTIONS

As India grapples with a deadly second wave of COVID-19, doctors have warned of a rare infection known as “black fungus,” following a spate of cases throughout the country, Amarjeet Kumar Singh reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh were the latest states in India to report cases of mucormycosis on Tuesday, after hundreds of infections were detected in New Delhi, Gujarat, and Maharashtra in recent days. Mucormycosis, which is caused by exposure to a group of molds called mucormycetes, has the potential to maim or kill patients and has a 50-percent mortality rate.

The fungal infection is spreading in parallel to the pandemic, but is not solely associated with COVID-19 patients. Eight people died of the fungal infection, while 2,000 cases were reported in Maharashtra, India’s virus epicenter, according to state health minister Rajesh Tope. Authorities were creating special wards to isolate patients and treat them free of charge since the medicines required to treat it are expensive, he said.

More than 700 cases have been reported in Gujarat, where the state government has also set up separate wards for patients. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) urged hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, diabetics, and those with compromised immune systems to look out for early symptoms of the fungal infection, which include sinus pain, nasal congestion, facial pain, swelling, numbness, and toothache, among others.

It can cause blackish discoloration over the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain and breathing difficulties, ICMR said. The infection is usually found in patients with diabetes and can be triggered or aggravated by the use of steroids, a life-saving treatment for COVID-19.

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