Nearly 9,000 cases of the fungal infection mucormycosis have been reported so far<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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MONDAY, May 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) — India is struggling with thousands of cases of deadly fungal infections in COVID-19 patients and those who have recovered from the disease.<\/p>\n
Nearly 9,000 cases of the fungal infection mucormycosis, also known as “black fungus,” have been reported so far, Federal Minister Sadananda Gowda said Saturday, the Associated Press<\/em> reported. Gowda did not reveal the number of fatalities, but local media have said there have been more than 250 deaths from the disease.<\/p>\n Mucormycosis is caused by exposure to mucor mold — commonly found in soil, air, and the nose and mucus of humans — which spreads through the respiratory tract and erodes facial structures, the AP<\/em> reported. In some cases, doctors have to surgically remove the eye to prevent the infection from reaching the brain.<\/p>\n Mucormycosis was already present in India before the pandemic. It is not contagious, but it has a high mortality rate and the frequency of cases in the last month has left doctors shocked.<\/p>\n