About 12,000 cases of black fungus have been reported in India, most of them recovering from Covid-19.


  The occurrence of this serious infection is generally considered very rare, while the mortality rate due to it is about 50 percent.



  According to some experts in the field of medicine, due to the presence of large number of cases of diabetes in India, there has been an increase in the cases of black fungus.


  But are there any other reasons behind this and what is the situation abroad?


  Before the corona virus pandemic, at least 38 countries around the world had reported cases of mucormycosis, commonly known as black fungus.

     The rate was highest in India and Pakistan, with 140 cases per million people, according to Leading International Fungal Education. Dr. David, a fungal infection specialist at the University of Manchester, says that black fungus cases in India were 'more than any other part of the world' even before the corona epidemic."           

    Mucormycosis is largely associated with uncontrolled diabetes and there are many cases in India," he says.

     According to a recent research done all over the world, 94% of the patients recovering from Covid-19 who were found to have cases of fungal infection were suffering from diabetes.  About 71% of these cases were from India.

  Mucormycosis affects the sinuses and may require removal of the eye.


  Was there a link to diabetes in other countries as well?


  Apart from India, cases of mucormycosis have been reported in some other countries, where there is a significant number of patients with diabetes.

   There is also a large number of patients of diabetes in Pakistan and Bangladesh.  Cases of mucormycosis are also being seen in these two countries, but their number is not so high.

   In Bangladesh, a team of doctors is treating one case of mucormycosis while the results of the investigation are awaited in another suspected case.

 According to media reports, five patients of mucormycosis were reported in Pakistan during the last few weeks, out of which four had died till May 12.

   So far 29 cases of black fungus have been reported in Brazil, but it is not clear at this time how many of these people got corona infection before and how many also have diabetes.


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  Russia has also recently reported some corona patients suffering from mucormycosis, but among these patients with diabetes have not been detected yet.

  America has a large number of people with diabetes.  According to an estimate, 9.3% of the population there have diabetes.

  America is also on the top in the whole world in the cases of Covid patients.


  According to the US Centers for Disease Control, cases of mucormycosis are very rare worldwide, and only 3% of diabetes cases can be treated with comprehensive care.


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  Why can it be dangerous for people with diabetes?

  Experts say that the problem is more because in many cases patients are not even aware that they have diabetes.

  According to an estimate by the IDF, about 57% of people in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are not aware of diabetes.

  It has also been estimated that the number of such people in Pakistan is considerable.


  "India has a large number of uncontrolled diabetes cases because people do not get their health checked regularly," says Dr Hari Prakash at the International School of Medicine in Kyrgyzstan.

  He says that most cases of diabetes are detected during investigations for other health problems and they are not treated.


  Due to not keeping diabetes under control, there is a high possibility of developing certain types of infections, including some fungal infections.


  Even in African countries, the number of undiagnosed diabetes cases is reported to be 60%, but according to calculations, only 3% cases of mucormycosis have been seen there.


  Dr. Denning points out, "This may be due to not being able to identify cases of mucormycosis. It is not easy to identify it."


  According to several researches, it is difficult to identify black fungus due to the difficulty in tissue sample collection and the lack of sensitivity of the diagnostic test.


  Black fungus can be due to what other reasons?


  According to experts, the indiscriminate use of steroids in the treatment of some patients of covid can also be linked to mucormycosis or other fungus.


  Two steroids are very popular in the treatment of Covid patients in India – Dexamethasone and Methylprednisolone.  They are used to reduce inflammation caused by the deterioration of the immune system in Covid patients.


  However, as hospitals and doctors were battling a sudden increase in the number of patients, there is a lot of evidence that these steroids are being taken without a doctor's supervision.

  The Government of India has been warning people not to take medicines on their own without medical advice, it can have serious consequences.

  Dr Denning says that due to this, there can also be consequences like causing very serious symptoms like mucormycosis.

  Research on approximately 2,000 COVID patients in the UK found that dexamethasone helps reduce mortality in people with moderate or severe COVID-19 infections, but may be harmful in patients with mild infections.


  This research also looked at the effects of steroids during hospital use.  In some states of India, people have been advised to take precautions with home isolation kits.