It was during the second wave of coronavirus pandemic that a majority of Indians started hearing about Mucormycosis, popularly known as black fungus infection. Even though black fungus infection was with us for years, the coronavirus pandemic increased the number of Mucormycosis cases, and it became a major health concern in India due to the high fatality rate. And now, government statistics reveal that a total of 40,845 cases of black fungus infection was reported in India during the second wave of the Covid pandemic.
The connection between Black Fungus infection and Diabetes
Fatalities due to black fungus infection in the country during the second wave of the pandemic were 3,129. 85.6 percent of the people infected with black fungus had Covid, while 64.11 percent had diabetes as a comorbidity. 52.69 percent of those infected were on steroids.
The statistics clearly indicate that diabetes had a crucial role in triggering black fungus infection on the human body.
"40,845 cases of Mucormycosis. 64.1% had known diabetes. Probably half of the rest had undiagnosed diabetes or Prediabetes. Again emphasizes the importance of detecting and controlling diabetes," said Dr V Mohan, Chairman, of Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre.
When should you seek medical care?
Even though Mucormycosis infection could turn lethal, timely intervention with medications could save the life of the person. If the treatment gets delayed, it could often lead to the removal of the infected organ through surgery.
There are certain symptoms of black fungus infection that you should not ignore. Headache is one of the classic symptoms of black fungus infection. It should be noted that headache is also a symptom of Covid infection, but if a person is suffering from persistent headache even after 14 days, it is very much necessary to avail immediate medical care.
Some other noted symptoms of mucormycosis include one-sided facial swelling, nasal or sinus congestion, black lesions on the nasal bridge or upper inside of the mouth that quickly become more severe, and severe fever.
