Do’s And Donts To Reduce The Risk Of Black Fungus Infection :
| Do’s | |
|---|---|
| Do not ignore warning signs and symptoms | |
| Monitor blood glucose levels after COVID-19 administration, as well as in diabetics | Donât consider that all cases of the blocked nose are caused by bacterial sinusitis, particularly in immunocompromised patients or COVID-19 patients on immunomodulators. |
| Steroids should be used with caution: Correct timing, doses, and duration | For detecting fungal etiology, do not be afraid to conduct aggressive investigations |
| Use sterile and clean water in humidifiers during oxygen therapy | Do not spend much time before starting treatment for mucormycosis. |
| Use antibiotics/ antifungals carefully |
Why Are There More Cases In India
While there have been reports of mucormycosis in countries such as U.K., U.S., France, Austria, Brazil, and Mexico during the pandemic, Cowen said India is experiencing more cases for several reasons.
Firstly, she said India already has a high prevalence of uncontrolled diabetes, which makes some people there much more susceptible to the fungal infection.
That vulnerability is then exacerbated by the raging spread of coronavirus in the country, which can leave them hospitalized with severe COVID-19.
Finally, to make matters worse, Cowen said the use of steroid treatments, such as dexamethasone, for COVID-19 may actually trigger the development of mucormycosis in these patients.
Steroids are used to reduce inflammation in the lungs of patients with severe COVID-19 and suppress the immune system to prevent it from going into overdrive and damaging organs. However, Cowen said that dampening of the immune system can also expose patients to other risks, such as mucormycosis.
The use of steroids can be absolutely life saving, but it also creates these huge risks and vulnerabilities, she said. Doctors need to be very, very careful with how theyre monitoring those kind of treatment regimens.
Cowen said mucormycosis often develops after a COVID-19 patient, usually one with diabetes, has undergone steroidal treatment for the disease.
How To Prevent Mucormycosis Infection
Having a high index of suspicion helps!!
If diagnosed early it can be treated better with improved outcomes.
Taking care of diabetes and having well-controlled sugars are the most important factor to prevent the invasion. Staying in touch with your endocrinologist and the ID physician post-COVID is also critical.
Following hygienic measures and frequent hand wash with minimizing the exposure of the fungal spores to the mucosal surface is also important.
You must take good care of yourself if you have compromised immunity. You should bandage all your wounds and use a mask while working in the yard. One must understand that steroid can be a lifesaving drug while managing COVID and shouldnt shy away from its optimal use.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How Black Fungus Effects Covid Patients
Who Is At Risk
The infection can happen to anyone at any age. Most people will come into contact with the fungus at some point in their everyday lives. But you’re more likely to get sick if you have a weakened immune system because of a medication you’re taking or because you have a health condition like:
- Diabetes, especially when it isn’t under control
- High levels of iron in your body
- Bad health from poor nutrition
- Uneven levels of acid in your body
- Premature birth or low birth weight
It’s also more likely if you have a skin injury like a burn, cut, or wound. And cases have been reported in people with COVID-19.
Mucormycosis isn’t contagious.
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Black Fungal Infection Symptoms
The information given to you in the form of Black Fungus Infection Symptoms can be very helpful. We are giving you this information based on the information available on the Internet. This infection is also called opportunistic because it cannot penetrate inside by penetrating your normal immune system. Before going into the body, you have to wait for your bodyâs immune system to weaken.
Common Symptoms are being given below which you should seek medical advice immediately.
If you see Black Fungal Symptoms above, you need to consult a doctor immediately. The above symptoms can also be common, so you do not need to worry too much. If you were infected with corona in the past, then you should talk to the doctor if you see the above symptoms.
The Black Fungus Epidemic Hitting Covid
Amid the 28.4 million cases from SARS-CoV-2, a second epidemic has hit India. Black fungus, clinically known as mucormycosis, is an infection currently affecting nearly 12,000 immunocompromised patients recovering from COVID-19. But what is this infection and what does it mean for health systems?
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What Are The Symptoms Of Black Fungus
The symptoms of mucormycosis can differ depending on whether the fungus is growing in the sinus or brain area, the lungs, the skin, or the gastrointestinal system, according to the CDC.
In the sinuses, symptoms include one-sided facial swelling, headache, nasal congestion, black lesions on the nasal bridge or upper inside of the mouth, and fever.
When black fungus is in the lungs, symptoms include cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, and fever.
Skin mucormycosis can look like blisters or ulcers, and the infected area may turn black. Pain, warmth, redness, and swelling around a wound can also be symptoms.
Symptoms of GI mucormycosis include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and GI bleeding.
Disseminated mucormycosis, which occurs when the infection spreads through the bloodstream, can occur in people who are already sick from other medical conditions that makes it hard to determine which symptoms are due to the infection and which are related to their existing condition. Disseminated mucormycosis in the brain can affect mental status or induce coma.
How To Treat A Black Fungus Infection
It is crucial that the treatment of mucormycosis be aggressive and fast. The reason being the rapid speed with which the fungus infects your body parts. And once it damages the tissues, it cannot be reversed.
Most patients with the infection need medical and surgical treatment:
Surgical removal of the infected tissues is necessary for almost all patients with black fungus infection.
Medications play a dual role. Antifungals help to halt or slow the spread of the infection and medicines to treat any disease a patient may have. Common antifungals are Amphotericin B, isavuconazole, and posaconazole
An individual on steroids may need to stop taking the medication as it provides a preferable environment for the fungus to grow and multiply.
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Should People In The Us Who Have Diabetes Or Are Immunosuppressed Be Concerned About Black Fungus
People with weakened immune systems have a higher risk of many types of fungal infections, according to the CDC. But its important to note that black fungus isnt a new infection that could spread to the United States from India. Mucormycosis is here in our country, but there are only a handful of cases in the U.S. every year, Bollinger says.
Although there hasnt been an increase of black fungus in the United States, healthcare workers have observed that people who have recovered from COVID-19 are at higher risk for other fungal infections, says Bollinger. Theres a fungal infection called aspergillosis that weve seen in post-COVID-19 patients. Many of these people were treated with steroids and had been on ventilators, both factors that increase the risk of aspergillosis. Aspergillosis also has some of the same risk factors as mucormycosis, such as high sugar levels, says Bollinger.
Could Unsanitary Conditions In Hospitals Be A Factor
Its hard to say if the cleanliness of hospitals or other conditions are contributing to people getting mucormycosis, says Bollinger. There have been reports in the past even before COVID-19 of small outbreaks of the infection because of contaminated equipment, he says.
Its possible that sharing equipment such as ventilators without proper cleaning could contribute to greater exposure to black fungus, but that needs to be further studied, says Bollinger.
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Whats Causing The Black Fungus Surge In India
I think many of us suspect that the surge of mucormycosis is primarily being driven by people who didnt know they had diabetes contracting the COVID-19 infection. These people have high blood sugar levels and that puts them at risk for mucormycosis, Bollinger says.
Steroids that are used to treat COVID-19, such as dexamethasone and methylprednisolone, could also help explain the increase in black fungus, says Bollinger. We are hearing anecdotes that steroids are being used much more frequently in patients with COVID-19 in India. We know that taking steroids, particularly if you have diabetes, increases your risk for this infection, and it also increases the sugar level in your blood if you have diabetes, he says.
Part of the problem may be physicians overprescribing steroids, but drugs are also regulated differently in India, notes Bollinger. Oftentimes patients can go directly to the pharmacy and buy drugs, including steroids to treat COVID, he says.
Its not clear that steroid use is the entire reason for the large incidence of black fungus, he adds. Im sure there are people presenting with this infection after having COVID-19 who never had steroids and may not even have diabetes we just dont have all the data yet to know that, he says.
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What Is The Black Fungus Disease Caused By
Black fungus disease, or mucormycosis, is a fungal infection caused by a group of fungi called mucormycetes that are found in many environments, including soil and decaying organic matter. These fungal spores can be inhaled into the lungs or infect cuts and scrapes on the skin.
Black fungus disease, or mucormycosis, is a fungal infection caused by a group of fungi called mucormycetes that are found in many environments, including soil and decaying organic matter. These fungal spores can be inhaled into the lungs or infect cuts and scrapes on the skin.
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What Is Black Fungus Infection Everything You Need To Know
The country is facing the second wave of covid-19 and all medical professionals are trying to control it. But there is another challenge the countrys medical professionals are dealing with right now rising cases of mucormycosis or Black Fungus. Rajasthan Govt. and other states have officially declared the Black fungus infection is an epidemic because they are recording an unproportionate number of cases, most of them linked to COVID complications.
A rare and deadly fungal infection, called Black Fungus or mucormycosis, is infecting patients of the covid-19 disease in India. ICMR and the Union health ministry released an advisory on 9 May, 2021 for screening, diagnosis and management of Black Fungus. If we dont treat it, the disease can be deadly for COVID-19 patients with uncontrolled diabetes, ICMR warned.
How Is Mucormycosis Treated
Mucormycosis is a serious infection and needs to be treated with prescription antifungal medicine, usually amphotericin B, posaconazole, or isavuconazole. These medicines are given through a vein or by mouth . Other medicines, including fluconazole, voriconazole, and echinocandins, do not work against fungi that cause mucormycosis. Often, mucormycosis requires surgery to cut away the infected tissue.
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What Kind Of Person Is At High Risk Of Blackfungus
This is not a new disease. But it is a very rare infection. Does not move from one person to another. So this disease is not contagious. But this infection is very serious. as the infection grows it can be fatal. The disease characterized by uncontrolled diabetes, organ transplant patients and patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Those who use other drugs indiscriminately
The government order to help physicians identify. and treat the early stages of black fungal infections. They are preparing to prepare and make public the protocol on the basis of the same advisory. The state government should make arrangements for this immediately. They are coordinating with the World Health Organization to bring antifungal drugs and we have received information that this drug will arrive immediately. If it is available immediately, they can save patient from the infection.
Thousands In India Infected By Rare ‘black Fungus’ With 50% Mortality Rate
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Thousands of Indians recovering from COVID-19 have come down with a rare fungal infection that’s killing 50% of its victims. Doctors have had to remove patients’ eyes and jawbones to save them.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
India has been battling the world’s biggest and deadliest COVID-19 outbreak. On top of that, another health crisis is unfolding. Thousands of Indians have come down with a rare fungal infection just as they are recovering from COVID-19. It’s being called the black fungus, and it’s been killing up to half of the people it infects. NPR’s Lauren Frayer reports from Mumbai.
LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Pushkar Saran lives in a suburb of India’s capital, and he’s one of millions of Indians who recently caught the coronavirus. He got ill, but his prognosis was good. He’s 42, he has diabetes and was prescribed steroids for treatment. But as he recovered from COVID-19, Saran came down with something else. He described his symptoms on local TV.
PUSHKAR SARAN: Left face numbness on my cheek .
FRAYER: The left side of my face went numb, and my eye turned red, he says. I couldn’t feel my teeth or jaw.
SARAN: . And I was also very scared.
FRAYER: He was scared because he’d heard all the news about a deadly fungus preying on people as they recuperate from COVID-19.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Well, if the coronavirus crisis wasn’t enough, black fungus is wreaking havoc in the country.
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Is Black Fungal Disease Fatal
Yes, it may cause death. Because it affects the brain. But can be cured when found earlier without any damages.
Black fungal disease is indeed fatal if not attended to at an early stage that is when the symptoms appear in the nose, ear throat, and skin. but if its spread to the central nervous system, lungs, and other vital organs.
It is more particularly dangerous in an immunocompromised patient like
- Diabetic patients
- Those recovering from viral infections at present.
It is an opportunistic fungal infection secondary to viral infections mainly. As I mention before the most effective drugs to treat black fungus infection include posaconazole, voriconazole, Amphotericin-B which the ENT doctors are now equipped with.
Dr. Rounak.Shukla an ENT surgeon says. black fungus, as it kills them, it turns them all black and thats where gets the name black fungus. In just three days, it can spread to the eyes or the jawbone. if it spread to the eyes or the jawbone the only way to stop the spread to the brain is to remove the infected eye or jawbone surgically.
Once it spreads to the brain, there is very little chance of recovering from it because the fatality rate is over 50%. People whove gone through immense distress due to COVID-19 now have to deal with this severe disability as well, he says.
Can Black Fungal Disease Be Treated
Yes, it can be treated. The infection of black fungus or mucormycosis is treated by a combination of pharmacological and surgical methods. The most common and mainly used drugs are Amphotericin B, Posaconazole, and Isavuconazole.
The patient first needs to be admitted to the hospital and then the doctor first started with IV doses of Amphotericin B and gradually shifted to oral Posaconazole or Isavuconazole as the patient improves. But Sadly, the infected tissue has to be surgical debrided and in worst cases has to be surgically removed.
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What Are The Risk Factors
Poorly controlled diabetes was reportedly the most common underlying risk factor in patients with CAM in India, where diabetes is more widespread and often left untreated.1 People with diabetes have high blood sugar. This, researchers believe, makes the body a more conducive environment for fungi to grow.2,6
Another risk factor is the use of corticosteroids, which are strong immunosuppressants used to treat severe cases of COVID-19. Corticosteroids have been known to impair the ability of phagocytes , therefore leaving a person more vulnerable to fungal infections.2,6,7
The environment is also at play. Tropical climates, where it is hot and humid, are prime breeding grounds for fungi to grow.1 And evidence suggests that in India, these mucor fungi are more prevalent, making exposure more likely than in other areas of the world.2