Chandigarh: In 2 days, PGI sees 37 black fungus cases

CHANDIGARH: Within two days, cases of mucormycosis have increased by 43% at PGI. There were 37 such fungal infection cases in the PGI till date, while it was 21, on Friday. At Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, there are 26 such cases till date, while the Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector16, had a suspected case of infection.
One of the latest studies, which is a multi-centre study across India, reported 465 cases from 12 centres in over 21 months. The study reported an annual incidence of 22 cases per year, and an average of 38.8 cases for each participating centre.
“This time the cases have increased exponentially due to uncontrolled diabetes, Covid-19 infection where ferritin levels rise and indiscriminate use of steroids with more than the recommended dosage,” said Prof Arunaloke Chakrabarti, head of the microbiology department at PGI.
Experts feel that the treatment of mucormycosis involves both surgical intervention and antifungal therapies. “Amphotericin B (AmB) is the first-line drug of choice. Subsequently, Posaconazole and Isavuconazole are prescribed. The major drawback in managing mucormycosis in India is gap in the treatment protocol and financial constraints i.e. patients are unable to afford Liposomal AmB. The existing data showed that the mortality rate was low in patients treated with a combination of AmB and surgical debridement of the infected tissue (19–44%) compared with AmB monotherapy (50–61%), these findings are in concordance with global data,” documented Prof Arunaloke, in a study published recently.
Microbiologists believe that mucormycosis is a surgical emergency to be taken at top priority as slight delay will kill the patient. According to the CDC, mucormycosis mainly affects people who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight diseases. It most commonly affects the sinuses or the lungs after inhaling fungal spores from the air.