‘Black fungus’ surges among COVID-19 patients in India [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• India is facing another epidemic threat of ‘mucormycosis’ cases amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The black fungus disease has manifested among COVID-19 patients.
• Health Secretary Lav Agarwal has declared mucormycosis as ‘notifiable disease.’

Aside from enduring a daily high record of COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 patients in India are now getting hit with another rare fungal disease as the national government has moved to closely monitor the situation.

A black fungus known as “mucormycosis” has been infecting individuals with weak immune systems. The disease manifests with symptoms like discoloration or blackening over the nose, distorted vision, chest pain, difficulty of breathing and coughing blood.

Per health experts, the cause of the disease could be attributed to the steroids being used to cure COVID-19 since the medication minimizes immunity while increasing sugar levels.

In a letter to state governments, Health Secretary Lav Agarwal said that mucormycosis had become another hurdle for COVID-19 patients who undergo steroid therapy and with pre-existing diabetes.

“This fungal infection is leading to prolonged morbidity and mortality among COVID-19 patients,” he said in the letter reported by Reuters Thursday.

While Agarwal did not disclose the number of mucormycosis nationwide, one of the most badly hit states Maharashtra has reported over 1,500 of such cases.

In accordance with the Epidemics Act, Agarwal has urged state governments to declare mucormycosis as a “notifiable disease.” This meant that authorities would need to monitor each case.

In the town of Sevagram at Maharashtra, Dr. SP Kalantari said a group of health professionals such as ear, nose, and throat surgeons, neurologists and ophthalmologists were needed to cure the disease.

“Unfortunately, this kind of team does not exist in rural areas,” Kalantari said.

On Thursday, the country recorded 276,110 new COVID-19 cases in just a day, a little higher than the previous day, though it was lower versus the 400,000 daily record observed at the beginning of May.

India now holds the second highest COVID-19 cases after the US, with over 25 million infections and more than 287,000 fatalities.

Source: AOL.com