Amid the deadly second wave of coronavirus, the rise in black fungus infection has emerged as a major health concern in India. Due to its high rate of mortality and complications, medical experts in the country are bothered about the rise in this fungal infection. Even though black fungus infection is there with humans for years, it started showing its spreading spree in India post the second wave outbreak of coronavirus. As the scare looms up, a top medical expert in the country has suggested that there could be multiple factors behind the rise in black fungus cases which should be addressed seriously.
Not just steroids and diabetes causing black fungus infection
In the initial days of the outbreak, medical experts have suggested that people with diabetes, chronic illnesses, and those with low immunity are more prone to contracting black fungus infection. Steroid usage has also contributed to the rise in black fungus cases in India.
However, top medical expert Dr. Jagadish J Hiremath, founder of ACE healthcare warned that it is not just diabetes and steroid use that contributes to black fungus cases in India. According to Jagadish, multiple factors could be causing black fungus infection, as there are some mucormycosis cases reported where people are young without any history of diabetes and steroid use.
"We have come across 2 reports till now of patients who are young healthy non-diabetics with no history of intake of steroids getting black fungus or Mucormycosis. It is clear now that multiple factors are responsible for the epidemic of black fungus & it needs to be addressed," wrote Jagadish on his Twitter page.
Self-medication and steaming increase possibilities of black fungus infection
The medical expert also warned that self-medication and steaming practiced in homes might be also causing the rise in black fungus infection.
The normal flora has also been destroyed by the indiscriminate steaming which patients & people have done, thinking that will kill the virus.
— DR JAGADISH J HIREMATH (@Kaalateetham) May 26, 2021
People have taken zinc supplements indiscriminately & this has allowed fungus to grow as zinc is prerequisite for its growth.
"Self-medication & procedures like steaming have played a big role in increasing numbers of patients getting infected with fungal infections. Indiscriminate antibiotic use has killed the normal flora allowing opportunistic infections like fungi to grow," added Jagadish.
He also made it clear that the indiscriminate use of zinc is allowing the black fungus to grow rapidly in the human body.
"Normally body, when infected with fungi, sequestrates zinc away from fungus & the monocytes which attack fungus are devoid of zinc. But with plenty of intake of zinc supplements, high blood & tissue levels it is difficult to achieve zero zinc zone around fungi by our immune system," revealed Jagadish.
