A new infection that has become an epidemic in some parts of India has developed amid the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Numerous people who were diagnosed before and after COVID-19 are currently suffering from The Black Fungus, also referred to as Mucormycosis, a rare, severe, and aggressive fungus illness.
The majority of incidents have involved people who are recuperating from or have recovered from COVID-19 when they become infected.
The immune system of the body may be significantly weakened by this, decreasing its reaction and making the body more susceptible to fungus infections, according to scientists.
In patients recuperating from immune system impairment, Black Fungus has already been linked to numerous deaths in India. Patients need to be educated about this condition and taught to identify its signs, and that’s what this article will help you with.
What is Black Fungus Infection?
Black fungus, also known as mucormycosis, is a rare but dangerous condition. Black fungus is brought on by coming into contact with environmental fungal spores. The fungus may also grow in the skin after entering through a cut, scrape, burn, or another sort of skin trauma.
For instance, rotting wood, compost piles, and other organic materials in decay, as well as soil, are habitats for fungi. This fungus is caused by “mucromycetes,” a type of mold.
It should be noted that those who have medical issues or who take medications that reduce the body’s capacity to fight infections are more vulnerable to this unusual fungal ailment.
What are the symptoms?
Multiple organs and body components can be impacted by this disease. It may cause a blackening or darkening of the skin around the nose, double or blurred vision, chest pain, trouble breathing, and bloody coughing. The infection where the fungus is growing in the body determines the symptoms.
- Lung associated symptoms
- Respiratory issues or lack of breath
- Chest pain
- Fever
- Coughing up blood or otherwise dark liquid
- Sinuses and Brain symptoms
- Fever
- Headache
- Nasal or sinus congestion
- Side facial swelling
- Black lesions at the roof of the mouth or on the bridge of the nose
- Skin condition symptoms
- Facial ache
- On the skin, a tiny serum-filled bubble
- Enlargement around an infection
- Air pockets behind our foreheads, noses, cheekbones, and in between our eyes and teeth may harbour skin lesions or infections.
- Extreme reddening and warmth
- Region of infected skin turning dark
- Additional symptoms
- Nausea and diarrhoea
- Muscular paralysis in the eyelids
- Stomach or abdominal pain
- Bleeding from the gut
Causes of Black Fungus
Fungal infections are brought on by a form of mould called Mucormycetes. These moulds are present in all parts of the environment, including the soil, the air, and the food.
They can affect the brain if they are not promptly treated and enter the body by the nose, mouth, or eyes. Experts in medicine claim that the usage of steroids during COVID treatment is the primary cause of the black fungus.
The majority of those who contract black fungus are afflicted with health issues or are taking medications that impair the body’s ability to fight infection and disease.
After receiving COVID treatment, the person’s immune is compromised, making them susceptible to infection with black fungus. Diabetes patients and COVID-19 patients are more susceptible to getting sick.
Treatment for Black Fungus
Your doctor will do a physical examination and inquire about your medical history if they suspect you of having mucormycosis. If you’ve been around ruined food or other areas where fungal spores are frequently seen, let them know.
Your doctor could collect a sample of the mucus from your nose or throat and send it to a lab for testing if it appears that you have a sinus or lung infection. Additionally, they might do a tissue biopsy, removing a small portion of contaminated tissue for examination.
To determine whether the infection has spread to your brain or other organs, your doctor may order imaging tests like CT or MRI scans.
If mucormycosis is determined to be your condition, you should begin taking prescription antifungal drugs as soon as feasible. These medications eradicate the fungus, inhibit its growth, and regulate the infection.
You could choose:
- Amphetamine B
- Isavuconazole
- Posaconazole
These drugs can be administered intravenously (IV) or as pills for oral use. Until the infection is under control, which may take many weeks, your doctor may begin by administering high doses intravenously. You’ll then start taking tablets.
If a medicine causes bothersome side effects, such as stomach pain, heartburn, or breathing difficulties, let your doctor know. They might be able to alter your course of therapy.
To prevent the fungus from spreading in extreme cases, your doctor may advise surgery to remove infected or dead tissue. This could entail having your nose or eyes cut off. It may cause disfigurement. However, it is essential to treat this potentially fatal infection.
Prevention or Precaution for Black Fungus
The Black Fungus can enter your body through your breathing or touch with produce that is going bad. Please be aware that Black Fungus is not communicable like Covid-19. Without any concern, you can interact with the person who has the fungus.
To ensure the avoidance of Mucormycosis, there are a few things to remember.
- Always wear a face mask when you are in areas with a lot of muck and dust.
- Avoid visiting construction and excavation areas and if you really must go, don an N95 mask.
- To prevent skin infection, wash the wounds with warm water and an antiseptic solution.
- Activities like gardening and yard labour that requires coming into contact with compost piles, soil, and dust should be avoided by people with compromised immune systems.
- Avoid contaminated water, and restore your home’s water-damaged regions.
- Maintain personal hygiene, taking regular, thorough baths.
- Stay away from activities that involve direct soil or dust contact. If you’re performing any soil-related activities, put on gloves and long shoes.
- Ask your doctor for antifungal medication if you have undergone an organ or stem cell transplant to stave off mucormycosis or other fungal diseases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What body part is impacted by black fungus?
Ans. While fungus enters through the injured skin as a result of any form of skin injury to produce a skin infection, people contract mucormycosis by breathing fungal spores from the air through the environment, which can also cause lung, brain, or sinus infections.
Q2. Is black fungus contagious?
Ans. The main cause of the increase in black fungus is the overuse of steroids and antibiotics, as well as contamination from the pipes and prongs used to mechanically give oxygen to patients. Mucormycosis cannot be transmitted from one person to another because it is not contagious.
Q3. The black fungus enters the body in what way?
Ans. A type of mould called a mucormycete is what causes mucormycosis. It might be in the water, food, and even the air. It can develop on the skin after a cut, burn, or another type of skin damage or it can enter the body from airborne fungus spores.
Q4. Is there any relation between COVID-19 and the Black Fungus?
Ans. When an individual’s immune system is weak and unable to effectively combat the illness, the Black Fungus infection spreads. Immunosuppressants are drugs that are given to COVID-19, such as steroids and some antibiotics.
They are more vulnerable to the illness spreading because of this. As a result, the number of Black Fungus cases among COVID-19 patients and recovered patients has increased.
The infection is encouraged by the overuse of steroids and other immunosuppressants, poor cleanliness, and other factors.
Conclusion
In general, the black fungal, sometimes known as the black fungus, is thought to be highly deadly. Patients returning from the corona, those who were infected by the corona, and those who were leaving the corona have all been identified as having patients with its infection.
We advise you to remain in your homes till the corona and black fungus have left the nation. Pay close attention to cleanliness. Don’t go anywhere public, and wear an N-95 mask.