What is black fungus, the rare disease that affects …

India, one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, now faces a proliferation at an alarming rate of a rare fungal infection, known as ‘black fungus’, which occurs mainly between convalescence from covid-19. We think it is associated with excessive use of steroids and polluted water.

At least nine states classified mucormycosis as an epidemic on Thursday, being one of the most affected Maharashtra, with more than 2000 cases. According to the press, around 200 patients are treated in health clinics. New Delhi and dozens of them are waiting for a bed in a hospital. States of Rajasthan and Telangana they also presented cases of “black fungus”.

The head of government of the capital, Arvind Kejriwal, announced that Specialized centers will be created in three hospitals in New Delhi to prevent the spread of the fungus.

Meanwhile, on social networks, requests are increasing for antifungal treatments. The most demanded is liposomal amphotericin B, which is why the Indian Minister of Health has announced that he will increase its production.

In this sense, most of the criticism circulating in this country highlights the lack of forethought of state and federal authorities, which should have taken action when registering the first cases, months ago.

Rapid spread

Before the second wave of coronavirus that killed 100,000 people in India last month, cases of mucormycosis were rare in the country. Those affected were patients with diabetes, HIV, or transplant patients, with immunocompromised organisms.

According to experts as Professor K. Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India, the rapid spread of this infection currently recorded is attributed to the uncontrolled use of steroids to treat patients with coronavirus.

“People use them excessively and inappropriately,” said the professor, who also noted that contaminated water in oxygen cylinders or humidifiers gives the fungus a chance to enter the body.

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first symptoms of this infection, which has a mortality rate of 54%, are headache, swelling of the face and fever.

Hospitalized for coronavirus

After about 12 days of steroid treatment, Bhartiben Shah, a covid-19 patient, began to complain of severe headaches that do not go away with the usual pain relievers. A few days later, the pain became unbearable and his eye was swollen, his son Smit Shah recalled in dialogue with AFP.

“An MRI showed a stain, but it was not obvious that it was a black fungus. But we admitted her to the hospital shortly after,” he said. After a biopsy, the infection was confirmed, so the young man launched a social media campaign to seek treatment with Liposomal Anfotericina B.

Parvesh Dubey, 33, was less fortunate. Hospitalized in Madhya Pradesh, he appeared to be on the mend when his family learned he had died of mucormycosis.

“We changed” the hospital, said a relative who did not want to identify himself, “and there the doctors operated on his nose and his cheek, he already had one damaged eye, the doctors were trying to save the other. ” “We lost him in a week”, lamented the relative, “we did everything possible”.