The death of a woman in a private city hospital with symptoms of mucormycosis, commonly known as “black fungus”, has frightened people. District collector V. Vinay Chand announced on Wednesday the establishment of a 20-bed facility in the dermatological department of KGH for the treatment of mucormycosis.
At the direction of the government, under the auspices of PV Sudhakar, director of Andhra Medical College (AMC), a clinical management protocol committee with experts from various fields has been established.
Although this disease has been around for a long time, it didn’t gain in importance until it affected COVID-19 patients. One good thing is that mucormycosis doesn’t spread from one person to another.
Medical experts attribute the rise in black fungus cases to the indiscriminate use of steroids and antibiotics, aside from contamination from the pipes and tines used to mechanically supply patients with oxygen.
“Black fungus can be identified through standard examinations such as an endoscopic examination of the nose. This is an outpatient procedure for performing nasal scratches, a biopsy to confirm the type of fungus, and a contrasting gadolinium-enhanced MRI. Symptoms include unilateral nasal congestion, facial pain, swelling, numbness, blurred vision, double vision, or watery eyes, ”said SKE Apparao, ENT surgeon and past president of the Indian Society of Otology The Hindu.
He suggests opening special wards for the treatment of black fungus cases, as this requires a team of specialist doctors, including an ENT surgeon, ophthalmologist, neurosurgeon, dentist, general practitioner and nephrologist. All hospitals should also have guidelines for the judicious use of steroids, including the correct timing, dosage, and duration, as well as the judicious use of antibiotics / antifungals, the use of clean sterile water for humidifiers during oxygen therapy and the proper maintenance of pipes and nose prongs are issued, he says.
“COVID Associated Mucormycosis (CAM) is an opportunistic infection caused by a group of fungi. It could be post-COVID phase infections among many opportunistic infections. Slime mold spores are ubiquitous in nature and occur in the soil and in decaying vegetation, ”says Veluri Gayathri, Professor of Microbiology at the NRI Institute of Medical Sciences.
“Mucor is a vasoinvasive fungus that penetrates blood vessels and quickly spreads to adjacent areas, especially the eye and brain. Early diagnosis and treatment can lower the death rate. Regular and proper oral and dental hygiene throughout the COVID and post-COVID phase, regular betadine / chlorhexidine gargles and good blood sugar control, ”adds Dr. Gayathri added.