A rare but potentially deadly infection dubbed “black fungus” by Indian doctors appears to be more frequent among CCP virus patients in the world’s second-most populous nation, according to reports.
The infection, called mucormycosis, is caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes found particularly in soil and is associated with decaying organic matter such as rotting leaves and wood, compost piles, and animal dung, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
There have been tens of thousands of cases of mucormycosis reported in India in the past month, compared to just a handful over the past decade, Dr. Bhakti Hansoti, associate professor in the department of emergency medicine and international health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told USA Today.
“We’ve seen this skyrocket in recent weeks,” she said.
Hansoti added that symptoms of the disease tend to arise two to three weeks after a person is infected with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. India recorded 362,727 new cases and 4,120 new deaths from the CCP virus on May 12, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Cases of the fungal infection in CCP virus-recovered patients is “nearly four to five times than those reported before the pandemic,” said Atul Patel, an infectious diseases specialist based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and a member of the state’s COVID-19 task force, Agence France-Presse reported.
According to the news agency, citing data from state-run hospitals, at least 300 cases have been reported in four cities in Gujarat—Ahmedabad among them. In India’s western state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located, about 300 cases have been reported, Khusrav Bajan, another member of the state’s COVID-19 task force, told AFP.
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