In India, more than 8,800 deadly “black fungi” have been reported as the epidemic is widespread.
The mortality rate for a commonly rare infection called mucormycosis is 50%, and some can only be saved by removing the eyes.
However, in recent months, India has seen thousands of cases affecting recovered Covid-19 patients.
Doctors say it is associated with the steroids used to treat Covid. People with diabetes are especially at risk.
Doctors told the BBC that they would strike 12 to 18 days after recovering from Covid.
The western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra report more than half of the reported cases. At least 15 states report 8 to 900 cases. Following an increase in the number of cases, 29 states in India have been told to declare the disease prevalent.
Doctors say that new wards opened to treat patients suffering from the disease across the country are rapidly filling up.
At the 1,100-bed state-owned Maharajajeshwantrao Hospital in the city of Indore in central India, the number of patients surged from eight a week ago to 185 on Saturday night.
More than 80% of patients need immediate surgery, Dr VPPandey, director of medicine at the hospital, told the BBC.
Dr. Pandy said the hospital had set up 11 wards with a total of 200 beds to treat patients with black mold, “the surge in this patient was undoubtedly unexpected.” “We saw one or two cases a year ago.”
He believed that indole alone had at least 400 patients with the disease.
“Black bacterium infections are now more difficult than Covid-19. If patients are not treated properly in time, mortality can reach up to 94%. Treatment costs are high and drugs [short supply]”Dr. Pandy said.
According to doctors, amphotericin B or “ampho-B” is an antifungal intravenous injection that should be given daily to patients diagnosed with mucormycosis for up to 8 weeks. There are two forms of drugs available: standard amphotericin B deoxycholic acid and liposomal amphotericin.
Dr. Pandey said he collected data on 201 patients from four hospitals in the city.
The majority of patients recovered from Covid-19 and were male. Most of them were treated with steroids and all suffered from underlying illness, mainly diabetes.
Another study by four Indian doctors examined more than 100 Covid-19 patients with mucormycosis. It was found that 79 were men and 83 were diabetic.
Another study of 45 black fungal patients at two hospitals in Mumbai found that they were all diabetic or were diagnosed with diabetes on admission. They all had very steep blood sugar levels.
“Patients with mucormycosis do not have normal blood sugar levels,” Dr. Akshay Nayal, an ophthalmologist who treated many patients, told the BBC.
What is Mucormycosis?
Mucormycosis is a very rare infectious disease. This is caused by exposure to mucor mold, which is common in soils, plants, fertilizers and rotten fruits and vegetables. “It’s ubiquitous and can be found in the soil and air, as well as in the nose and mucus of healthy people,” says Dr. Akshay Nea, a Mumbai-based ophthalmologist.
It affects the sinuses, brain, and lungs and can be life-threatening for people with severely weakened immunity, such as diabetics, cancer patients, and HIV / AIDS patients.