‘Mild disease but could take serious turn’: Govt on COVID triggered fungal infection causing eyesight loss

The government on Tuesday said the coronavirus -triggered deadly fungus causing eyesight loss in patients was a “mild disease” but “could take a serious turn”. The response came as ENT surgeons at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi came across over 12 cases of the Mucormycosis fungus within 15 days, which causes loss of eyesight, removal of the nose and jaw bone, and 50 percent mortality, where there is brain involvement. 

“This is a devastating disease. We need to be cautious. This could be a mild disease but can take a serious turn,” Dr. VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, said today. 

According to a report published by news agency ANI, the ENT and Eye team at Sir Ganga Ram have had to do resections procedure in about 10 patients over the last fortnight, with about 50 percent losing their eyesight permanently. Five of these patients required critical care support, due to other associated complications. It said, quoting the Ganga Ram Hospital, that there have been five mortalities in this subgroup.

Experts believe that COVID-19 patients were more susceptible to this virus and said that it was in the air. According to experts, it is a ubiquitous fungus and is present in the plant, animal and air but is attacking COVID recovered patients because they have been given steroids and have co-morbidities.

“This is a virus and comes in people with a weak immune system. This fungus comes into the body and destroys the part where it is coming. The post-COVID patients are given a large dose of steroids to decrease the Cytokine storm it allows opportunistic fungal infections like deadly Mucormycosis to enter the body,” Dr. Manish Munjal, Senior ENT Surgeon at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital told ANI. 

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