If the fall in new cases successively over the last few days created an impression that the country might have entered the post-peak phase of Covid 2.0, it seems the breathing space is going to be squeezed with the arrival of Mucormycosis, the dreaded black fungus affecting people recovering from Covid. It’s gradually spreading across the country and on Wednesday Rajasthan notified Mucormycosis as an epidemic and a notifiable disease amid continuing rise of cases. That the infection has spread silently in the Northeast too is apparent from a 27-year old Covid-victorious patient in Assam succumbing to the rare disease on Wednesday morning. Arunachal Pradesh needs to take proper guards at once since the medical experience gathered so far gives a fair indication that the infection can be life threatening with a mortality rate between 46-96 %. A special medical committee in this regard will be most helpful in the evolving circumstances.
The current deep inroads made by Mucormycosis in India can only be termed as extraordinary since as per reports only a handful of such infections were noticed in the country over the last 10 years. It’s the primary reason why medical practitioners are terming it as ‘rare’. If a more precise medical terminology is used, Mucormycosis can be understood to be an invasive fungal opportunistic infection that may prove fatal on a case to case basis. It’s the immune system of any individual that comes under direct attack of the fungus and this explains why Covid patients or those who have very recently recovered are proving to be vulnerable, particularly those with the existing comorbidity of diabetes- their immunity mechanism already over-stressed in fighting the Covid virus is finding it hard to put up the just response against the new fungal attack. This is exactly the case in Assam where the Covid-recovered patient after being sent home developed rapid symptoms within a few days and expired. It’s relevant to note that Mucormycosis is spreading wings in states that have seen a huge rise in Covid cases. In Maharashtra it has already claimed 90 lives and till late Wednesday evening 5 more had died at a hospital in Indore, MP and 4 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. As of now there is no news that an exclusive national task force to fight this new trouble has been formed. The fact is there’s virtually no awareness among people regarding the protective measures to be taken to thwart a possible attack of the fungus and an immediate wide-scale awareness campaign needs to be launched across the country and the Central Health Ministry and states must work in tandem.
Arunachal must exercise utmost caution without wasting a moment.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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