As of May 22, almost 9,000 cases of mucormycosis or black fungus had been reported in Covid-19 patients across India. The rare disease, caused by mold in the soil and rotting organic matter, killed 212 people, 90 in Maharashtra and 61 in Gujarat.
The disease affects people who are immunocompromised, people with poorly controlled diabetes, or people who have been given high doses of steroids. What is worrying is that the disease is now occurring in some adolescents with no history of immunosuppression.
Black fungus has been declared an epidemic in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Odisha, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Telangana and Chandigarh. The orders followed instructions from the Union Department of Health and urged states / UTs to curb the spread of mucormycosis in hospitals.
#BlackFungus Cases are rising in India; The center calls on states to follow control measures. nesnehamordani brings us this detailed report. #ITVideo pic.twitter.com/67B481aucJ
– IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) May 22, 2021
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) reiterated the need for “careful compliance” with standards for preventing and controlling infection. The focus was also on monitoring ventilator-associated pneumonia, catheter-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, and gastrointestinal outbreaks.
At a press conference on Saturday, NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr. VK Paul that the increase in mucormycosis was due to this disproportionate use of steroids in the treatment of Covid-19 Patient.
“Relationship between mucormycosis and zinc needs to be investigated”
However, experts say the government needs to investigate other reasons behind the rise in black fungus cases in parts of the country. The blanket use of zinc in treating Covid patients must stop, it is said.
Former President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan said, “The presence of metals like zinc and iron in the body provides a suitable environment for the fungi that cause black fungus.”
Dr. Jayadevan adds that the link between zinc and mucormycosis needs to be explored in order to find concrete conclusions and credible solutions.
“Scaling antifungal treatment is not the solution”
Head of CV Epidemiology at the Public Health Foundation of India, Professor Giridhar Babu told India Today, “There are several hypotheses out there [for the Black Fungus epidemic] and most likely it is multifactorial in nature. Perhaps it is due to the supply of medical oxygen or comorbidities. “
Doctors treating a patient infected with Black Fungus at the NSCB medical college and hospital in Jabalpur on Saturday (Photo credit: PTI)
“Just expanding antifungal treatment cannot completely solve the problem,” says Dr. Babu. A competent mycologist (expert in fungal infections) and a team of biomechanics should be able to investigate the cause of this epidemic.
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