Door To Door Survey To Be Conducted In Pune District To Trace Mucormycosis Patients

Sumit Singh

Pune, 23rd May 2021: After over 300 cases of Mucormycosis were detected in patients who have recovered from Coronavirus Disease (COVID19), the Pune district administration has ordered a rapid survey of patients from May 24 to 27. Early detection can bring them under treatment and prevent serious illness and death in patients.

An order issued by District Collector Rajesh Deshmukh states, “In the survey, the suspected patients should be examined and treated according to their symptoms. Similarly, the severity of the disease should be checked by providing immediate referral services to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist.

The examination should be done by an ophthalmologist, psychiatrist and other specialists as required. Similarly, further examination and treatment should be done as per the advice of experts.

Block Development Officer and Taluka Health Officer should plan for the survey. It should include lists of all patients who have been discharged after corona treatment after April 15. Village wise door to door visits should be conducted.

In the talukas where the number of patients is high, the taluka health officer should provide additional doctors. This should include doctors appointed by the Gram Panchayat or in the Covid Action Plan.”

What is mucormycosis?

Although mucormycosis (black fungus) is a fungal disease, the fungus is found in soil, plants, air, spoiled fruits and vegetables, dung etc. It can also be found in the nose of a healthy person. This disease mainly affects the sinuses and can spread to the eyes, brain, jaw and lungs.

Infection with the fungus can lead to serious illness in patients with diabetes as well as in people with weakened immune systems, cancer patients, HIV-AIDS patients, and patients currently taking steroids for Covid19. The mortality rate in this disease is around 50% and steroid use is the main cause of this disease.

Steroids reduce inflammation in the lungs and thus prevent damage caused by the uncontrolled response of the immune system. However, it also increases the blood sugar level in people with or without diabetes and weakens the immunity system, leading to mucormycosis. Therefore, it is very important to control blood sugar in people with diabetes.

In general, patients who recover from covid after treatment are more likely to develop mucormycosis up to one month after recovery from Covid.

Factors that cause illness:

Uncontrolled diabetes

Use of steroids weakening immune system

Use of immunomodulator drugs like Tocilizumab, Itolizumab

Long-term treatment in ICU

Long-term oxygen treatment

Transplant or Cancer

Long term feeding from ryles tube

Humidifier bottle contamination

Voriconazole treatment

Prolonged use of high antibiotics

Chronic kidney and liver disease

Symptoms for mucormycosis

Pain in the eyes

Nasal congestion

Numbness on the face

Appearance less or two images appear

Swelling of the eye

Redness of the eye

Pain in the eyes and vomiting

Behaviour change

Bleeding or black discharge from the nose