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Doctors say there is a link with the steroids used to treat Covid. Diabetics are at particular risk.
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Doctors have told the BBC it seems to strike 12 to 18 days after recovery from Covid.
- The deadly ‘black fungus’ maiming Covid patients
- India’s holiest river is swollen with bodies
- Six hospitals, three days and a Covid nightmare.
“The black fungus infection has now become more challenging than Covid-19. If patients are not treated in time and properly, then the mortality rate can go up to 94%. The cost of treatment is expensive, and the drugs are in [short supply],” the doctor added.
What is Black fungus
Mucormycosis, dubbed “black fungus”, is caused by a mould found in soil and in decaying organic matter like rotting leaves, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
People get mucormycosis, of which there are several types, by breathing in the fungal spores. They can be spread in hospitals and homes by air humidifiers or oxygen tanks containing dirty water.
– How dangerous is it? –
The infection needs to be caught early as it is aggressive and dead tissue has to be scraped away. Surgeons sometimes have to remove patients’ nose, eyes or even their jaw to stop it getting to the brain.
The western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra have reported more than half of the reported cases. At least 15 more states have reported between eight and 900 cases. Following the rise in cases, India’s 29 states have been told to declare the disease an epidemic.
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Newly opened wards to treat patients suffering from the disease around the country are filling up fast, doctors say.
