After Covid-19, 'black fungus' robs many in India of their eyesight

[N.Siddiqui]

After Covid-19, 'black fungus' robs many in India of their eyesight
ReutersPublished July 1, 2021 - Updated about 2 hours ago
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Patients suffering from mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, are seen inside a hospital ward in Ahmedabad, India, June 25. — Reuters


Saheb Rao Shinde's family thought the worst was over when the 65-year-old recovered from Covid-19 last month at his home in western India. But a few weeks later, the revenue-stamp vendor lost sight in one eye.
After a catastrophic second wave of Covid-19 in India since April which has seen its overall death toll climb to almost 400,000, thousands who contracted the virus also suffered from a rare fungal disease called mucormycosis, or "black fungus".
The South Asian country — which has more than 30.4 million confirmed Covid-19 infections, second only to the United States — has so far reported more than 40,845 cases of mucormycosis.

Many like Shinde may never be able to regain their sight after the fungal disease which causes blackening or discolouration over the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain, breathing difficulties and coughing blood.
"Father was fit and healthy, now he doesn't feel like eating" said his daughter, who did not want to be named. "His teeth have also been removed, it's very sad."

Shinde, from the arid western Indian region of Marathwada, will resume work after he recovers from this, his daughter told Reuters in Mumbai.
Reuters spoke to several other sufferers of mucormycosis across India.

Adesh Kumar, a 39-year-old farmer in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, lost sight in his left eye. He had to borrow money to pay for medicine, secured against some of his land.

India ordered tighter surveillance of mucormycosis in May as it compounded the challenge for Covid-19 patients, especially those on steroid therapy and with diabetes. Experts say an overuse of certain drugs which suppress the immune system could be causing the surge of the fungal infection.

"We are seeing a lot of mucormycosis cases post Covid infections, since Covid itself is known to decrease the immunity," said Charuta Mandke of the ophthalmology department at Dr R N Cooper Municipal General Hospital in Mumbai.

After Covid-19, 'black fungus' robs many in India of their eyesight

Experts say an overuse of certain drugs that suppress the immune system could be causing the surge of the fungal infection.

www.dawn.com

 

[Mirzali Khan]

Why is this phenomenon only spotted in India? What is the cause? Is Black Fungus spotted in other places as well?

 

[N.Siddiqui]

Why is this phenomenon only spotted in India? What is the cause? Is Black Fungus spotted in other places as well?

India has the highest cases of black fungus for various reasons...

Why Deadly 'Black Fungus' Is Ravaging COVID Patients in India

Standard treatments such as steroids, as well as illnesses such as diabetes, make the fungal infection worse

www.scientificamerican.com

These fungal infections arise after a COVID diagnosis, which seems to be a clue. A standard component of treatment for severe cases of COVID is high doses of corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory drugs that damp down the immune system’s overreaction to infection. Steroids save lives, but they simultaneously make a patient more vulnerable to attack by whatever bacteria or fungi are already in their body or hanging around their environment.

“Fungal spores are everywhere, but we are pretty efficient at clearing them from our lungs,” says Arturo Casadevall, a physician and molecular microbiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “But COVID damages the lung. So then you have a double whammy: reduced capacity to naturally clear the spores and reduced immune response as a result of steroids.”




What is mucormycosis?
Mucormycosis is a very rare infection. It is caused by exposure to mucor mould which is commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables. "It is ubiquitous and found in soil and air and even in the nose and mucus of healthy people," says Dr Nair.
It affects the sinuses, the brain and the lungs and can be life-threatening in diabetic or severely immunocompromised individuals, such as cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS.

 

[Mirzali Khan]

India has the highest cases of black fungus for various reasons...

Why Deadly 'Black Fungus' Is Ravaging COVID Patients in India

Standard treatments such as steroids, as well as illnesses such as diabetes, make the fungal infection worse

www.scientificamerican.com

These fungal infections arise after a COVID diagnosis, which seems to be a clue. A standard component of treatment for severe cases of COVID is high doses of corticosteroids, anti-inflammatory drugs that damp down the immune system’s overreaction to infection. Steroids save lives, but they simultaneously make a patient more vulnerable to attack by whatever bacteria or fungi are already in their body or hanging around their environment.

“Fungal spores are everywhere, but we are pretty efficient at clearing them from our lungs,” says Arturo Casadevall, a physician and molecular microbiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “But COVID damages the lung. So then you have a double whammy: reduced capacity to naturally clear the spores and reduced immune response as a result of steroids.”




What is mucormycosis?
Mucormycosis is a very rare infection. It is caused by exposure to mucor mould which is commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables. "It is ubiquitous and found in soil and air and even in the nose and mucus of healthy people," says Dr Nair.
It affects the sinuses, the brain and the lungs and can be life-threatening in diabetic or severely immunocompromised individuals, such as cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS.

Ah then overuse of steroids in medicine must be the cause.

 

[maxpayne]

Nature retaliation over using pellet guns against Kashmiris.... May Allah give all of us guidance. Ameen

 

[Pakistan Space Agency]

There must be something wrong with the vaccines produced in India.

It is possible that some of the vaccines given to the Indian population maybe fake and have come from criminal enterprises.

It's quite intimidating reading the details of this black fungus disease.

Anyway, I wonder if Hindu Extremists regret wishing their neighbour a corona death.