What is the “black fungus” infection found among COVID patients in India? | Coronavirus pandemic News

Mumbai, India – For 35-year-old Milind Deshmukh, infecting COVID-19 infection has been a devastating, life-changing experience.

A mechanical engineer in Thane district of Mumbai caught a fungal infection called mucomycosis while battling viral disease.

Within a month, the rapidly spreading fungus ate up a large portion of the facial tissue, including the right eye and palate.

“He has undergone three surgeries, he has lost sight of one eye forever and it will be difficult to speak or eat because of the removal of his palate,” Brother Deshmukh’s older brother told Makarand to Al Jazeera. “It’s all very destructive.”

How many cases have been found?

Indian doctors have had a tremendous record in treating aggressive and severe fungal infections.

Although cases of mucormycosis have been seen in the country earlier, the increase in infections occurs among people infected with COVID-19 and those cured of the disease.

The figures are above the cases before COVID-19 arrived in India.

“The situation is dangerous,” said Dr. Milind Navalakhe, an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon at Mumbai Global Hospital, who has undergone surgery to remove Deshmukh’s palatine.

In practice for nearly 25 years, Navalakh would get a case of mucormycosis a week before the pandemic.

“Now, I am seeing 25 cases of mucormycosis in a week, with all COVID-19 patients being treated or cured,” he said.

The western state of Maharashtra, inhabited by Mumbai, has reported about 2,000 cases and eight deaths as a result of mucomycosis.

State health minister Rajesh Tope has announced that special departments will be set up in hospitals to treat hereditary disease.

What causes mucormycosis?

Mucormizosis, also called black fungus or zygomycosis, is caused by a group of molds called mucomycetes.

These fungi live in the environment, especially in the soil and in decaying organic matter such as leaves, compost piles or rotten wood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When someone inhales these fungal spores, it is likely to be an infection that usually affects the sinuses or lungs.

According to medical experts, mucormiosis is an “opportunistic infection” – it is associated with medications that fight disease or reduce the body’s ability to fight infections.

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Patients with COVID-19 have weak immunity and a large number of them are placed on steroids to control the hyperimmune response so that they can suffer from other fungal infections, such as mucormycosis, experts say.

Most mucomycosis infections have been seen in COVID-19 patients with or below diabetes and with undetected high blood sugar.

Poor air quality in India and having too much dust in cities like Mumbai make it easier for fungi to thrive.

“There is also misuse and overuse of steroids and antibiotics in India, which allows for the further spread of infections,” Navalakh said.

Is it spreading?

Doctors in the Indian capital New Delhi have also begun to see a plague in cases of mucormycosis.

The city, which is home to nearly 20 million people, is under a second wave of COVID-19, as doctors predict a higher incidence of fungal infections.

“We are seeing two or three times as many cases of mucormycosis,” said Dr. Neha Gupta, an internal medicine and infectious disease specialist at Gurugram Medanta Hospital in the Indian capital.

The patient is said to come with symptoms such as loose or falling teeth, severe facial pain and swollen face.

“Earlier we would see rare cases of mucormycosis among people who have had road traffic accidents or those with severe diabetes. But now, all cases are linked to COVID-19,” he said.

Mucormycosis is also known to develop on the skin if it is introduced through a fungus cut, scrape, or other lesions. Patients who have undergone organ transplants are also known to be sensitive.

In the western state of Gujarat, hospitals have begun preparing rooms amid growing cases of fungal infections.

State officials have also placed orders for anti-fungal drugs called amphotericin-B, which is crucial in the treatment of mucormycosis.

Although about 100 such cases have been reported to the Gujarat government, doctors say the actual number could be much higher.

Dr. Dinesh Harani, an ENT surgeon in Gandhidham in the Kutch district of Gujarat, told Al Jazeera to operate on Ahmedabad, the city’s largest city with five patients with mucormiosis, in the past three days.

“I haven’t seen a single case of mucormycosis in my 35-year practice so far,” said Harani, who runs a small four-bed medical facility.

“The amphotericin-B injection is also low,” he said.

Ahmedabad Civil Hospital has admitted 19 patients with mucormycosis in the last week. Many government and private hospitals in other cities in the state, including Surat, Anand and Vadodara, have also reported cases.

Treatment of mucormycosis is expensive. Surgical removal of the infected tissue is the main treatment for the infection, in addition to long-acting anti-fungal medications.

“Mucormycosis is like a rapidly spreading cancer that invades the body,” Dr. Tanu Singhal told Al Jazeera, an infectious disease specialist in Mumbai.

“The overall costs of the treatments, including surgeries, range from 40,000,000 Indian rupees ($ 54,452) to 50,000,000 Indian rupees ($ 68,065).”