Mucormycosis An Epidemic : States To Declare
Source : The Hindu
GS II : Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources

Why in News?

Union Health Ministry urged states and union territories to make black fungus or mucormycosis an Epidemic a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 stating that the infection is leading to prolonged morbidity and mortality amongst COVID-19 patients.

Key Facts

• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) released guidelines for screening, diagnosing and managing this infection.
• Mucormycosis is a fungal infection that mainly affects people who are on medication for other health problems that hamper their ability to fight environmental pathogens.
• It is reported from many states amongst COVID-19 patients, especially those on steroid therapy and deranged sugar control.
• This fungal infection is leading to prolonged morbidity and mortality amongst COVID 19 patients that leads to Mucormycosis An Epidemic declaration.
• About the disease?
  • It is a serious infection.
  • It is caused by a group of moulds known as mucormycetes present naturally in the environment.
  • It mainly affects people who are on medication for health problems that reduces their ability to fight environmental pathogens.
  • How one get infected ? : Sinuses or lungs of such individuals get affected after they inhale fungal spores from the air.
  • Usually, mucormycetes does not pose a major threat to those with a healthy immune system.
  • Some groups of people are more vulnerable than others for those patients is uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, immunosuppression by steroids, prolonged ICU stay, and comorbidities post transplant/malignancy, voriconazole therapy.

• Symptoms
  • Warning signs include pain and redness around the eyes or nose, with fever, headache, coughing, shortness of breath, bloody vomits, and altered mental status.
  • Sinusitis, Local pain on the cheek bone, Blackish discoloration over bridge of nose/palate, Loosening of teeth, jaw involvement, Blurred or double vision, Thrombosis, necrosis, skin lesion, Chest pain, pleural effusion, worsening of respiratory symptoms.
• Treatment
  • It is treated with antifungals, mucormycosis may eventually require surgery.
  • Utmost importance to control diabetes, reduce steroid use, and discontinue immunomodulating drugs.
  • To maintain adequate systemic hydration, the treatment includes infusion of normal saline (IV) before infusion of amphotericin B and antifungal therapy, for at least 4-6 weeks.
• Treatment for COVID patient
  • Management of Covid patients with mucormycosis is a team effort involving microbiologists, internal medicine specialists, intensivist neurologist, ENT specialists, ophthalmologists, dentists, surgeons and others.
  • All these will be complicated for a COVID patient.
• Prevention
  • Use masks if you are visiting dusty construction sites.
  • Wear shoes, long trousers, long-sleeved shirts and gloves while handling soil (gardening), moss or manure.
  • Maintain personal hygiene including a thorough scrub bath.

Daily Current Affairs : Click Here