Black fungus warning amid COVID-19 patients gets louder
New Delhi, May 09: Cases of mucormycosis, a fungal infection, are rising among Covid-19 survivors, causing blindness or serious illness and even death in some cases, health officials in Maharashtra and Gujarat said on Saturday.
The
cost
of
treatment
for
this
disease
is
also
a
matter
of
concern,
some
doctors
said.
Mathur
Savani,
chairman
of
Surat-based
Kiran
Super
Multi-speciality
Hospital,
said
mucormycosis
patients
are
coming
to
his
hospital
from
Surat
district
as
well
as
other
parts
of
Gujarat.
"Fifty mucormycosis patients are being treated at our hospital and 60 more are awaiting (treatment). They all came to our hospital in the last three weeks and have recovered from Covid-19 recently," Savani told PTI. Seven such patients lost eyesight, he said.
The civil hospital in Surat has set up a separate facility for such patients, said in-charge Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Dr Ketan Naik.
In Ahmedabad, at least five mucormycosis patients are being operated upon every day at the civil hospital at Asarva, a senior doctor said.
"We are receiving five to 10 such cases (daily), especially since the second wave of Covid-19 started," said Dr Devang Gupta, ENT specialist at the hospital.
"At least one out of five cases is related to eyes. Several of them are suffering from blindness," he said.
In
Maharashtra,
at
least
eight
Covid-19
survivors
have
died
due
to
mucormycosis
while
200
others
are
being
treated,
said
Dr
Tatyarao
Lahane,
who
heads
the
Directorate
of
Medical
Education
and
Research
of
the
state
government.
"They
survived
Covid-19
but
the
fungal
infection
attacked
their
weakened
immune
system,"
Dr
Lahane
told
PTI.
COVID-19 related black fungal infections adds chaos amidst a pandemic
This
disease
is
not
new,
but
it
is
on
rise
among
Covid-19
patients
because
the
use
of
steroids
elevates
sugar
level
and
some
medicines
suppress
the
immunity
of
these
patients,
he
said.
"In
such
a
situation,
the
fungus
infects
the
patient
easily.
If
it
reaches
the
brain,
it
can
prove
fatal.
In
one
such
case,
one
of
the
eyes
of
a
patient
had
to
be
removed
permanently
to
save
his
life,"
Dr
Lahane
said.
The fungus, also called black fungus', is present in the environment, but those with suppressed immunity or co- morbidities are more vulnerable to its infection, he said.
Symptoms of mucormycosis include headache, fever, pain under the eyes, nasal or sinus congestion and partial loss of vision, Dr Lahane said.
Speaking about treatment, he said, "A patient generally needs a type of injection for 21 days. The basic cost of this injection is around Rs 9,000 per day."
Dr
Hetal
Marfatia,
professor
and
head
of
the
ENT
department
at
the
government-run
KEM
hospital
in
Mumbai,
said
a
surge
in
mucormycosis
cases
is
being
witnessed
in
the
last
two
weeks.
"On
average,
two
or
three
such
patients
are
visiting
the
hospital
every
day,"
he
said.
Many
of
these
patients
come
from
outside
Mumbai
and
cannot
afford
the
treatment
cost,
he
said.
During the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic the fungal infection typically came to light a couple of weeks after patients were discharged, Dr Marfatia said.
"But now, some patients are contracting this infection while undergoing Covid-19 treatment," he added.
Niti Aayog Member (Health) V K Paul on Friday had said that mucormycosis cases were being found in patients with Covid-19.
"It is caused by a fungus named mucor, which is found on wet surfaces. It, to a large extent, is happening to people who have diabetes. It is very uncommon in those who are not diabetic. There is no big outbreak and we are monitoring it," he said at a press conference after a hospital in Delhi flagged rising cases.
"When a patient is on oxygen support, it should be ensured that water does not leak from the humidifier (to prevent the growth of the fungus)," he said, while also calling for "a rational usage" of steroids and medicines such as Tocilizumab to treat Covid-19 patients.