Thousands of infectious-disease patients in world-regions have been diagnosed with mucormycosis, or so-called “black fungus” that’s leaving some withvision-and-hearing” target=”_blank”> vision loss<
“We are seeing a lot of mucormycosis cases post COVID infections since COVID itself is known to decrease the immunity,” Charuta Mandke, who works in the ophthalmology department at Dr. R N Cooper Municipal General Hospital in Mumbai, told Reuters.
One patient, a 39-year-old farmer in Uttar Pradesh, told Reuters that he lost sight in his left eye and had to borrow money to pay for medicine against his own land. Another 65-year-old COVID-19 survivor who lost his sight due to the fungus will allegedly have to resume work after he recovers, his daughter told the outlet.
Last month, Dr. Akshay Nair, a Mumbai-based eye surgeon, told BBC News that he had already treated 11 patients who needed an eye removed due to the fungus. Another surgeon also reported that 11 patients required an eye removed, and that six of those patients later died.
“It’s a nightmare inside a pandemic,” Dr. Renuka Bradoo, head of Sion Hospital’s Ear Nose and Throat wing told BBC News.
While cases of mucormycosis have been documented in India prior to coronavirus, it’s never been reported in such vast numbers. The Indian Council of Medical Research has advised doctors to monitor glucose levels post COVID-19 discharge and in diabetics, and to “use steroid judiciously – correct timing, correct dose and duration.”
