The worrying “black fungus” virus affects infected patients

Like The second wave of the coronavirus epidemic Not enough in India, the country is now facing an increase in “black fungus” cases, affecting patients infected with Kovid-19. According to the testimony of the reported guardians BBC, This infection is fatal to those who cause harm.

This is called mucormycosis, an infectious disease that attacks human tissues. After being affected, the tissue turns black and eventually becomes necrose. Dr Akshay Nair, an ophthalmologist at Zion Hospital in Bombay, told the BBC that 40 patients were being treated for the fungal infection in April.

Very resistant humans

Most often, these fungi live in damp, dirty and unventilated areas, attacking the head (nose, eyes, brain, etc.) and the lungs. But in most cases, they are not a problem because most humans are resistant to them. They become dangerous as they develop dramatically in vulnerable patients suffering from immunodeficiency.

In this case, scientists estimate the mortality rate to be more than 50% in patients. Among them, those with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy or diabetes. Symptoms may include painful swelling of the nose, nostrils, eyes, or blurred vision.

The solution is to work as quickly as possible to cure the infection, remove the affected tissue and prevent the fungus from spreading to the brain. “Often, this operation ends with eye enclosure and subsequent weeks of reconstructive surgery”, details France24 Stefan Bretagne, head of the parasitology-mycology department at St. Louis Hospital.

“No direct link” with Kovid-19

According to him “there is no direct link between Kovid-19 and mucromycosis”. The outbreak of coronavirus cases combined with many diabetics and environmental factors “creates a favorable environment for disease development”. According to many experts, steroid-based therapies used in India to treat Kovid-19 patients promote the appearance of this black fungus. “Diabetes lowers the body’s immune system, the body boosts it, then steroids that help fight covid-19 act as fuel for fire.” BBC Lay Dr. Akshay Nair.

According to the Indian government, which has declined to say how many people in the country are infected with mucomycosis, the disease is “not a major epidemic at this stage”. Prior to the launch of Kovid-19, the infection was already prevalent in India, with the U.S. estimating that 140 cases were occurring per million residents.n The American study was published in the Journal of Fungi. One-third of the world’s reported cases are nationalized (71%).