The Black Fungus is also known as mucormycosis is one of the most serious and complicated fungal infections. Black fungus not only causes people to lose immunity but also reduces their body’s ability to fight this as well as other kinds of infection.
Black fungus has recently caused a fuss in the country as many people around the country are being affected by this. Most of the people facing black fungus have a history of covid 19 with diabetes.
Covid 19 patients with diabetes and comparatively weak immunity are more likely to be prone to the attack of black fungus. The sudden surge in the number of black fungus attacks has caused serious concern among the health experts in the country.
Many suggest that the lack of sanitation along with populated air and dust have made it easier for the fungus to thrive and attack people with weak immunity. It is said that the number of black fungus-infected people in the country in the past months is far more than the number of cases in the last five years.
It is definitely due to the pandemic and rise of the coronavirus.
Causes
The black fungus can be caused by people for many reasons. It can be due to contact with certain fungal surfaces or consumption of rotten items that are attacked by certain fungus or bacteria and that can attack your body.
However, the main reason why the surge of black fungus has increased is due to the misuse or overuse of steroids and antibiotics in Covid patients during their treatment especially patients with poorly controlled diabetes.
These steroids might help in curing covid but decreases the ability of the body to fight fungal infections as well as damaged tissues.
Symptoms of Black Fungus
The black fungus can spread from your mouth to eyes to nose and various other regions including the brain. Symptoms include swelling, headache, breathing problems, fever, cough, chest pain, nausea, blood vomit, runny nose, blurred vision, and many more.
However it is very important, especially for patients who have recovered from covid to immediately consult a doctor whenever you have any of these symptoms as black fungus are said to spread quite rapidly, and delay in treatment can cause various problems including death.
Why is Black Fungus of serious concern? Is it dangerous?
One of the major reasons why black fungus has become such a serious concern is because more and more people are getting infected with COVID every day in the country. Also, our country has a lot of diabetes patients as well.
Therefore with so many people being vulnerable to an attack by Black Fungus has become scary to many. Black fungus might not be able to attack everyone as it requires weak immunity to spread through the body.
However, it is still equally or even more dangerous than COVID as it spreads throughout your body at a very rapid speed. That too within 24 to 48 hours only.
The fungus may attack the nose or eyes or sinus however it spreads to various regions rather fast and soon reaches the brain vessels and damages the brain tissues. It can cause loss of eyesight or even become brain dead.
Black fungus is considered so dangerous because it might not affect everyone and very few people but the intensity of the overall death rate makes it super deadly. It’s almost 50% of the infected people!
Along with the widespread effects that leave doctors and patients with no choice rather than just removing the affected area, mainly losing eyesight is very severe indeed.
Is Black Fungus Curable?
Even after a high mortality rate, the black fungus cannot be cured, however, it can be removed by surgery. With the help of antifungal therapy for 4-6 weeks, it can be treated or controlled.
The treatment for a black fungus patient includes normal saline infusion before amphotericin infusion. Along with that, as mentioned earlier an antifungal therapy lasts for 4 to at least 6 weeks.
Black fungus infection often may result in surgery to save the patient which includes removal of the affected area. While talking about the affected areas, they are mostly the eyes or jaw which can be replaced by artificial ones.
Cautions to stay away from black fungus
- Avoid COVID
We already have mentioned that COVID patients are the most vulnerable to black fungus. Therefore the best way to avoid black fungus is to avoid COVID.
- Control Diabetes
Controlling diabetes is another important factor to avoid it. Many have suggested that the COVID patients who’ve been cured should control their hyperglycemia as well as be careful when it comes to their blood glucose level. And keep monitoring it.
- Grow Immunity
Post-COVID it is necessary to increase their immune system ability. Use the given steroids with the proper condition, do not over or misuse them.
- Follow Medication
Use correct dosages along with timings and duration are necessary for oneself to be away from black fungus.
- Wear Masks, Gloves, Full Clothes
Other basic cautions that one must take to prevent this fungus is by using masks especially in places that are dusty. One must be very careful while gardening or dealing with soil, use power free disposable later gloves and full clothes to avoid coming in contact with funguses.
- Maintain Personal Hygiene
Most important is to maintain proper personal hygiene, be it while showering or brushing. It is necessary to take regular scrub baths as well as proper dental hygiene and brushing your teeth at least twice.
- Maintain a balanced and healthy diet
All the precautions together will only enable one to be safe from black fungus. Try your best to be safe and maintain a very healthy and balanced lifestyle with proper food and exercise.
Black fungus has created new worries among the citizens of the country who are already afraid of coronavirus. However, the solution to everything is to stay at home and stay safe.
This new virus is indeed dangerous and if you have any symptoms you should immediately seek medical help. You should also be careful and take all precautions to be safe from coronavirus, control your blood sugar level and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
If we take proper precautions and be careful we can pass through this one as we have already done with COVID. Therefore educate yourself about this and be careful!