Black Fungus
Slowly
following the Covid-19 Pandemic a rare, deadly & aggressive fungal infection is spreading as epidemic in India ;
As per recent BBC news already nearly
9 thousand cases have been detected
in various states like Gujarat,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Telengana etc.
How Caused -
Black Fungus or Mucormycosis is caused by a group of fungi that normally live in the environment, particularly as moulds found in soil and in decaying organic matters such as leaves, compost piles or rotten wood (CDC- 13/05/2021) ; People get Mucormycosis of which there are several types by breathing in the fungal spores ; It may also come in hospitals and homes from air humidifiers or oxygen tanks containing dirty water ;
Line of Treatment
According to Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the infection needs to be caught early as it is aggressive & dead tissues have to be scraped away ; Unfortunately, surgeons sometimes have to remove a patient’s nose, eyes & even his jaw to stop it getting to the brain ;
According to CDC the average fatality rate is 54 percent ; However, as learnt, it is not contagious ; Our country normally faces only a few dozen cases a year ; It is learnt that Amphotericin-B is an anti-fungal drug which is now being used in the treatment of Black Fungus ; However, to give the exact medication, proper doses etc. for treating this disease is not the purpose of this brief article ; That rests absolutely upon the doctors ;
Why the Cases of Black
Fungus are Increasing ?
Rapid growth of Coronavirus can be linked with the growth of Black Fungus as a secondary infection ; In severe cases of Covid-19 patients when steroids are used for a long time, this overuse of steroids can acutely compromise the immune system of the body, as a result the chances of mucormycosis or Black Fungus increase ; The chances of this disease also increase if the patients are diabetic ; Unfortunately, in India the rate of diabetic patients are high ; Besides, Covid patients who have been hospitalized for a long time, are on oxygen support or ventilator with poor hospital hygiene or who have been taking medications for other ailments like diabetes, cancer etc. are very prone to catch these disease ;
Primary Symptoms
Primary symptoms of the Black fungus include discoloration of the oral tissues,
tongue, gums, stuffy nose, severe pains, swelling face, heaviness below the
eyes, discomfort, fever & headache etc.
·
Maintain
general oral hygiene ;
· Oral Rinsing – Patients are advised to change their tooth-brush once
they test negative & to keep rinsing their mouth regularly ;
· To use anti-septic mouthwash at bedtime regularly ;
Avoid unhygienic or re-using unwashed masks ;
[ All the above information are collected from various recent posts in
Times of India, The Indian Express etc.]
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