One of the worst coronavirus epidemics in the world for virulence and lethality was not enough, the Indians now have to deal with the increasingly worrying spread of a deadly mycosis, the so-called ‘black fungus’, the latest horrible complication indirectly linked to Covid-19 which is affecting the subcontinent. Thousands of people have developed mycosis in recent weeks, usually very rare but which leads to death in 50% of cases, one in two. A wave of infections attributed to the excessive use of steroids, used by doctors to treat the millions of patients affected by the coronavirus.
For now, at least 5,500 people in India are affected by mycormycosis – this is the scientific name of the disease – and 126 have died from this fungal infection. Widespread shortly before Covid – in India there are normally less than 20 cases of black fungus per year – the disease is very aggressive and surgeons are sometimes forced to perform extremely invasive interventions to prevent the spores from reaching the brains of patients, removing in some cases the eyes, nose, jaw.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, only people with severely compromised immune systems, such as those with AIDS or transplant recipients, were at risk. The current rapid increase in cases is largely attributed to the uncontrolled use of steroids, which have as a side effect the weakening of the immune system, already altered by the presence of the virus. Contaminated water in oxygen cylinders or hospital air humidifiers does the rest, giving the fungus an opportunity to spread quickly.
The situation worries the central government which has defined the situation as an “epidemic”, requiring states to report confirmed and suspected cases. Meanwhile, as happened in March and April when social media was flooded with desperate demands for oxygen, hospital beds and anti-Covid drugs, Indians are now turning back to social media in search of medicines to cure the black fungus. Meanwhile, the variant of the coronavirus originated in India continues to worry the Old Continent as well. Due to the spread of this strain on British territory, Germany has decided to impose a two-week quarantine on travelers arriving from Great Britain, which is mandatory even in the event of a negative swab.