'Black Fungus' Complication Adds To India's COVID Woes - Slashdot

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Science

'Black Fungus' Complication Adds To India's COVID Woes (reuters.com) 15

The Indian government has told doctors to look out for signs of mucormycosis or "black fungus" in COVID-19 patients as hospitals report a rise in cases of the rare but potentially fatal infection. From a report: The state-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said at the weekend that doctors treating COVID-19 patients, diabetics and those with compromised immune systems should watch for early symptoms including sinus pain or nasal blockage on one side of the face, one-sided headache, swelling or numbness, toothache and loosening of teeth.

The disease, which can lead to blackening or discolouration over the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain, breathing difficulties and coughing blood, is strongly linked to diabetes. And diabetes can in turn be exacerbated by steroids such as dexamethasone, used to treat severe COVID-19. "There have been cases reported in several other countries - including the UK, U.S., France, Austria, Brazil and Mexico, but the volume is much bigger in India," said David Denning, a professor at Britain's Manchester University and an expert at the Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections (GAFFI) charity.
Further reading about the 'black fungus': BBC; NPR, the New York Times, and the Guardian.
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'Black Fungus' Complication Adds To India's COVID Woes

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  • Denning called it a "triple whammy". "You've got a high rate of mucormycosis, you've got a lot of steroids - maybe too much - being used, and then you've got diabetes which is not being well controlled or managed."

    Of course, when you order off the menu of well-researched treatments, an unexpected side effect is too often the punishment for your adventurism.

  • by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Friday May 14, 2021 @06:38PM (#61385762)

    If you want to convince the remaining people who have not taken the vaccine to get it, I can think of no better way than broadcasting far and wide how not having the vaccine might mean you are getting Black Fungus.

    I personally would probably do nearly anything to avoid even a 1% chance of getting something called Black Fungus.

    • It's definitely a good encouragement to get the vaccine and also not get type 2 diabetes from poor diet. (the other people who seem to be at risk of bad case of the fungus)
    • by Dusanyu ( 675778 )
      Include some pictures of the disease's effects on people (For the love of god if you value whatever you just ate don't google mucormycosis.) and people will be kicking in the doors of the Vaccination clinics.
      • Include some pictures of the disease's effects on people

        I was thinking along those same lines, but as you noted I really didn't want to even see the results of the google search to verify that was the case. *shudder*.

  • I guess the question I'm left with though is whether anyone is surviving COVID in India when they get to the point of needing oxygen? If the answer is no would it not be better to admit this and instead provide palliative care for the dying as well as anti-anxiety meds for the families? https://buyessays.onl/buy-term... [buyessays.onl]

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