When there are more active cases of mucormycosis (952) than active COVID-19 cases (833) in the national capital, it is time to sit up and take notice how an infection, which was in the rare disease list, suddenly became an epidemic on its own, and is now surpassing the main challenge of the pandemic itself.
Caused by a fungus that thrives within bodies ravaged by diabetes mellitus, or pumped with corticosteroids, mucormycosis found favourable conditions, riding piggy back on COVID-19. The strong meds, specially steroids, doctors used on severe cases lowered their immunity, letting this fungus thrive. Poorly sterilised medical equipment, specially respiratory tubes, further encourage its growth.
Scientists are wondering why the cases in India are higher than elsewhere. According to a Lancet report, India contributed over 70 per cent of global mucormycosis cases in COVID-19 patients between December 2019 and April 2021 (the percentage was gleaned from unofficial sources.) India, till June, had reported over 40,000 cases, of which nearly 35,000 had COVID-19, too. Over 3,200 have been reported dead, but given poor reporting in rural areas, the figure might be higher.
Mucormycosis is cause for concern because it spreads rapidly, mainly from the sinuses around the nose, working its way towards the brain and eating up flesh and organs in its path. Doctors in several speciality hospitals have performed complicated surgeries to save patients' lives, having removed an eye or part of a jaw. However, patients have still succumbed to the fungus.
There are reports of patients having died of it after having recovered from COVID-19. Researchers feel there could be other reasons, too, for the high number of mucormycosis cases in the country, apart from the fact that diabetes mellitus is rampant in India. What this reason is, however, they are still in the dark about.
The treatment for this infection is with the drug Amphotericin B, which is given as an injection. As the fungus is a fast spreading one, it has to be diagnosed early and requires aggressive treatment, with one patient needing over a 100 injections over a four to six week period of treatment. While there are a number of manufacturers of the drug in India, production volumes were always low, given that the disease, while still more widely spread in India than elsewhere, still had only a small patient base. Production has be augmented with government help now, but the shortage still hasn't been met. The Centre recently lifted import duties on this drug, that should ease availability and cost of treatment, both, to an extent.
However, a scientific study on why this disease has become an epidemic will help stop it from developing in the first place. There are some studies on.