A NIGHTMARE AMID THE PANDEMIC- BLACK FUNGUS
Black fungus, as the name suggests, a fungus with its deadliest effect around the country. Its biological name is Mucormycosis, which was previously called Zygomycosis. It belongs to the phylum, Mucoromycota. The fungus is spread by spores of mold (multicellular network of hyphae). It is ubiquitous that is, it is present everywhere.
This is how it spreads, it could be spread by soil, by air, or by dead and decaying bread, vegetable, and fruits. This fungus is no new to humans. It was present before also and had spread through spores, packed food, and unhygienic things. But what is the difference between now and then in respect to the fungus? It is found that now there is no single source of its spreading and the people are more vulnerable due to immunity weakness caused by coronavirus.
The fungus is proved to be much deadlier to the people with diabetes, with weaker immune response, to the people who have to go through organ transplant, who are taking steroids for a long time as all these reasons causes to weaken one’s immune response.
Who is it affecting most?
The fungus is proved to be much deadlier to the people with diabetes, who were coronavirus infected and non-diabetic, people with weaker immune response, to the people who have to go through organ transplant, who are taking steroids for a long time for all these reasons, cause to weak one’s immune response.
- People who are suffering from coronavirus and also from obesity will have a weaker immune response.
- Due to coronavirus, the alveolar surface of the lungs will start to dysfunction and as a result, they have to take corticosteroids (this is the group of the drug that tends to reduce inflammation, redness, allergy in the body).
- The drug also causes the immune system to damp off as the inflammation in the alveolar tissue increases.
- Hence this medication of coronavirus is paving the way to this fungal infection (black fungus).
symptoms
- Usually, runny nose symptom is seen in the patients suffering from black fungus.
- The itchy eye and redness are also considered as a symptom
- Spots that can be seen around the nose are also one of the symptoms.
- Bloody vomits.
- Redness around nose and eyes.
- The major of the symptoms are noticed in the people recently recovered from coronavirus. These surgical removals of body parts are taking place because of the fear of the spread of the infection to other body parts as in some cases, doctors have removed jaws of patients who are suffering from black fungus
Diagnosis and treatment
- The early detection of this disease is treated with some anti-fungus drugs like “Amphotericin B”
- This drug is used for curing serious fungal infections.
- As the condition becomes more serious, the treatment followed is debridement (surgical removal of that part of the body which is infectious, to prevent the spread of infection to other parts).
- Blood sugar control is an effective measure for controlling this fungus.
- And basic blood tests are not available for the early detection of this fungus. Hence it is hard to identify in the beginning stages.
- It has been found that the injection per dose of the drug is costing around Rs. 3500.
- This kind of treatment is proving very expensive for the poor population of India. Most of the time, people generally got late in their diagnosis and they have to go through the surgical removal of their eye.
Studies have shown that more than 94% of the people who previously have coronavirus 19 and are diabetic were prone to this infection.
The disease is a threat to our medical department. To curb its spreading one need to make aware himself. If found, any of the symptoms of the above disease, one should immediately go to the doctor nearby for a checkup.
The medical department too need to research this fungus as its early detection is still a challenge to them. And this is causing many of the lives at stake.
