Steroids, diabetes main causes of black fungal infections in Covid patients

The abuse of oral steroids and uncontrolled diabetes are the culprits behind the unusual outbreak of black fungus infections among Covid-19 patients in India, two senior health officials said on Saturday.

"Misuse of steroids is the main reason behind corona-associated mucormycosis. The chances of fungal infection increase in patients who are diabetic, Covid-19 positive and are taking steroids. To prevent it, we should stop the misuse of steroids,” Randeep Guleria, director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said at a press conference.

This disease can affect the face, infecting the nose, orbit of the eye or the brain, which can cause even vision loss. It can also spread to the lungs.

Read | When will US send Covid-19 vaccines to India?

“Steroids should not be given indiscriminately and not in high doses. Diabetes must also be checked as uncontrolled diabetes causes the infection,” added V K Paul, NITI Ayog member and a former professor at AIIMS.

Paul said there was no national inventory of Covid-19 associated mucormycosis cases but the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) began an exercise to create one after some states reported 400-500 such cases. Guleria said there were 23 such cases at AIIMS, Delhi.

On the Covid-19 scenario in the states, a health ministry official said Tamil Nadu was a new cause of concern because of the rise in the positive cases in the last week. Chennai, Chengalpattu and Coimbatore are three districts that saw a continued rise in the cases in the last two weeks.

Read | Maharashtra's Covid-19 death toll crosses 80,000-mark

Since the last ten days, Tamil Nadu has been among the top five states reporting the maximum of daily new Covid-19 cases.

As many as 516 districts have more than 10 per cent test positivity ratio, of which 316 districts showed an increasing trend since the last two weeks. On the positive side, 187 districts were showing a decreasing trend and there was a drop in active cases in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh, said Lov Agarwal, joint secretary in the ministry.