Black fungal infection in some recovered Covid-19 patients may become fatal

May 7: Black Fungus, or Mucormycosis (previously called zygomycosis) is a serious but rare fungal infection  triggered by COVID-19 and is caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes. These molds live throughout the environment. Mucormycosis mainly affects people who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness. The disease can be fatal. Symptoms of the disease are face numbness, nose obstructions on one side, swelling in eyes, or pain.

Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) said, ““These fungi aren’t harmful to most people. However, for people who have weakened immune systems, breathing in mucormycete spores can cause an infection in the lungs or sinuses which can spread to other parts of the body.”

Doctors in Delhi are witnessing a rise in cases of Covid-19 triggered Mucormycisis in patients again. Doctors had flagged an increase in such cases in December last year as well, when they saw 12 such cases within 15 days. According to senior ENT Surgeon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr Manish Munjal, these cases are being seen again in Covid patients. The infection was reported last year in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad and Karnataka’s Bengaluru as well.

According to Dr Ajay Swaroop, Chairman, Department of ENT at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Covid-19 patients with weak immunity are more prone to this black fungal mucormycosis disease. “Use of steroids in treatment of coronavirus infection and the fact that many Covid-19 patients have diabetes as co-morbidity could be one of the reasons for this rise in black fungus cases again. Covid-19 infected patients with weak immunity are more prone to this deadly infection,” he explained.