Today, people are battling with a second wave of corona worldwide, and there is an unprecedented rise in the number of cases. It is the horrific time of the pandemic, and recently a typically rare Black fungus disease is detected among patients who were diagnosed with the Covid-19.
The black fungus infection becomes another major concern with a mortality rate of about 54%, and it is spreading drastically among the people through the sinus tract. Maharashtra is the state of India that alone reported more than 2,000 cases of the Black fungus disease.
Now, it becomes crucial to follow the protocols of control to prevent the disease. This article highlights the relation of fungal infection with Covid-19, and ways of prevention for Black fungus infection.
Table of Contents
What Is Black Fungus Disease & What Are Its Symptoms?
The fatal Black fungus disease is also known as Mucormycosis. The disease is spreading through a group of fungal mould called the Mucormycetes which usually grows in compost, plants, soil, and decayed organic matter.
It is generally found in wet surface, and feed on sugar to grow. In the tropical regions such as India, the fungal spore’s counts are generally greater during summer than monsoon season.
- The disease invades through the sinus tract, skin trauma, and affects distinct parts of the body. The symptom starts to appear within 2-3 days.
- The symptoms of infection includes- eyelid loss, blurred vision, eye swelling, jaw or tooth pain, altered mental status, dark spots around nose, fever, headache, breathing difficulty, blood in the cough.
- If there is an infection in the lungs due to fungus, the victim experiences cough, difficulty in breathing, chest pain.
- If it attacks the digestive system then the symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, gastrointestinal bleeding can be seen in the victim.
- It can spread speedily to lungs, skin, and brain through blood vessels. If left untreated, it can cause death of the individual.
What Is The Relation Between Corona & Fungus?
The disease is affecting those individuals that are fighting, and have recently recovered from covid-19. It is found from the studies that people easily inhale the fungus with weaker immunity, and whose immune system has been compromised.
- Corona patients are generally treated with steroids as they lower down the inflammation of the lungs. Thus, prevent the patient from the effects of corona. But the side effect is that it reduces body’s immunity, and increases the blood glucose levels in both non-diabetic and diabetic patients. In other words, fungus feed on sugar to grow, and the rise of the sugar level triggers the Black fungal disease among covid patients. If left untreated, it can cause loss of vision and death.
- The patients with Covid-19 facing the issue of hypoxia specially the victim whose oxygen level drops to 90 needs the oxygen, and prolonged use of humidified oxygen causes the Black fungal infection. The reason is the fungus usually grows in moist places, and improper sterilization of ventilators, pipes of oxygen triggers the Black fungus among covid patients.
- It can be dangerous for those who are immunodeficient infected with malignancy, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, congenital bone marrow disease, and AIDS. Apart from this, it infects the people that are on immunosuppressant drugs to eliminate chances of organ rejection.
How The Disease Can Be Prevented?
It is aforesaid that prevention is better than alleviation. So, it is necessary to adopt ways of prevention to prevent the disease. The following can be done to reduce the chances of the disease:
- Steroids are essential to prevent Corona, but it is important to prescribe the right dose on time to prevent Black fungus disease after post-covid. After discharge from the hospital, it is necessary to monitor victim’s blood glucose level.
- It is necessary to have control on hyperglycaemia to prevent Black fungus infection.
- Protect yourself by wearing masks, and if possible avoid activities related to the soil such as yard work, gardening. Moreover, stay away from the region with a lot of dusts, and contaminated water.
- It is important to check the presence of spores in the hospital via a sampling method in the air.
- The hospital humidifier sterilization is necessary to avoid contamination. The oxygen prongs should be sterilized with anti-septic soaps.
What Is The Treatment Provided By The Hospitals?
It is necessary to treat disease on time otherwise it can cause the death of the person. In some cases, person lost vision, and surgeons remove the eyes to stop the infection from reaching the brain.
The Black fungus disease after covid can be treated through antifungal medication, and by surgical debridement. If the infection is minor then medication is taken orally, and if major then the disease is administered via injections.
- It is found that the intravenous anti-fungal injection dose is most efficient to prevent the disease. The drug targets the fungus and slows down the speed of spreading.
- If there is serious damage in tissues then the surgical method is used by surgeons to remove the fungus.
It is time to not get panic from disease instead follow prevention methods to prevent the disease, and boost your immunity with immunity boosters, vitamin C, Vitamin B rich food. Also, prescribing doctor if getting suspicious of infected with the disease.
Writing Credits – Aakriti Bamnia.
