Covid-19 crisis | Cases of black fungus return: What is Mucormycosis? What are the symptoms and can it be fatal?

Known as black fungus, Mucormycosis has a mortality rate of 50% and typically affects diabetic Covid patients treated with steroids

Even as people familiarise themselves with new variants and symptoms during India's latest Covid-19 spike, hospitals in Delhi, Pune and Ahmedabad are witnessing the re-emergence of a deadly fungal infection that is forcing Covid-recovered patients back into intensive care.

Doctors at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram hospital have reported multiple cases of the fungal infection, while Gujarat hospitals have also seen a sharp uptick in such cases.

What is Mucormycosis?

Mucormycosis, known colloquially as the black fungus, is a rare but dangerous fungal infection caused by a group of moulds known as mucormycetes, which are present naturally in the environment. They only cause serious complications when a patient has pre-existing health problems or has taken medication that compromises the immunity system.

The fungal spores commonly enter through inhalation and affect the sinuses or lungs. They can also enter through an open cut or wound and infect the skin.

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Symptoms of Mucormycosis

Worryingly, the infection could kill half the people that it affects, according to published studies. It also causes blindness in up to one-third of infected patients, along with excruciating pain. Other symptoms include numbness in the face, one-sided nose blockages and swelling in the eyes.

Health experts have panned the use of steroids to treat Covid patients with acute diabetes as a major cause of Mucormycosis. However, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said the infection is not contagious, advising that early recognition, diagnosis and speedy anti-fungal treatment could increase patients’ chances of survival.

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Treatment and Shortage of Drugs

On the treatment front, doctors use an anti-fungal injection known as Amphotericin B to treat life-threatening cases. However, with growing demand, hospitals in Pune are facing severe shortages of the drug that could lead to patients racking up hefty bills for treatment.

Daily demand for the drug in the city has reached 1,000 vials, even though supply is limited to 200 to 500 vials a day, according to a report by The Times of India. Fearing a blow up in prices, doctors have urged the Centre to cap the retail price as it did with Remdesvir.

While the resurfacing of the fungal disease is concerning, cases of Mucormycosis had been seen in patients last year as well. Hospitals in Ahmedabad, Delhi and Bengaluru had flagged cases in November-December last year.