States across India have begun declaring a "black fungus" epidemic as cases of the fatal infection shoot up in patients recovering from Covid -19. The fungal disease, called mucormycosis, has a 50% mortality rate. It affects patients initially in the nose but the fungus can then spread into the brain, and can often only be treated by major surgery such as removing the eye or part of skull and jaw. It is usually a rare disease, but more than 7,200 people in India have now been reported with mucormycosis and 219 have lost their lives.
The rise in black fungus infection, mostly in patients who had severe cases of Covid -19, has been linked to an overuse of steroids in the treatment of the Coronavirus, which can acutely compromise the immune system if taken over a prolonged period.
The high incidence of diabetes in India has also been blamed for black fungus infections. It has also been reported in Covid patients who were on ventilators in intensive care units, due to their airways being exposed to humidity and moisture found in soil and organic matter.
