‘Black fungus’ emerges as new concern amid India’s virus outbreak

dpa New Delhi As India grapples with a deadly second wave of COVID-19, doctors have warned of a rare infection known as “black fungus,” following a spate...

dpa New Delhi As India grapples with a deadly second wave of COVID-19, doctors have warned of a rare infection known as “black fungus,” following a spate of cases throughout the country.Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh were the latest states in India to report cases of mucormycosis on Tuesday, after hundreds of infections were detected in New Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra in recent days.Mucormycosis, which is caused by exposure to a group of moulds called mucormycetes, has a potential to maim or kill patients, and has a 50 percent mortality rate.The fungal infection is spreading in parallel to the pandemic, but is not solely associated with COVID-19 patients.Eight people died of the fungal infection, while 2,000 cases were reported in Maharashtra, India’s virus epicentre, according to state health minister Rajesh Tope.Authorities were creating special wards to isolate patients and treat them free of charge, since the medicines required to treat it are expensive, he said.More than 700 cases have been reported in Gujarat, where the state government has also set up separate wards for patients.The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) urged hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, diabetics and those with compromised immune systems to look out for early symptoms of the fungal infection, which include sinus pain, nasal congestion, facial pain, swelling, numbness and toothache, among others.It can cause blackish discolouration over the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain and breathing difficulties, ICMR said. The infection is usually found in patients with diabetes and could be triggered or aggravated by use of steroids, a life-saving tratement in COVID-19.Medical experts say such cases have been reported in other countries like the United States, Britain, France and Mexico, but the numbers are higher in India owing to a higher number of cases of uncontrolled diabetes. If left untreated for long, it can lead to permanent damage, such as loss of eyesight, as well as death.There is no national estimate of murcomycosis cases released by the federal Health Ministry so far, but officials have maintained there is no “big outbreak” yet. Experts, however, say the country could be logging upto 2,500 such infections everyday.    The fungal infection is the latest challenge for India as it struggles with shortages of hospital beds, supplies, medicines and vaccines due to the spread of COVID-19.India is currently seeing the world’s worst COVID-19 outbreak, reporting more than 300,000 new virus infections daily for the past 20 days. It has an overall caseload of 22.9 milion, second only to the United States.India logged 329,942 new virus cases on Tuesday, the lowest in two weeks, but that may have partly been attributable to relatively lower testing at the weekend.