It is caused by a fungus called Mucorales, which is usually not known to affect humans, it causes severe damage to patients during both treatment and after recovery, often necessitating urgent surgery to remove affected parts above the neck, according to experts.

“The problem was not witnessed on such a big scale during the first Covid wave. But this time around, it has gone up multifold all over the country. Normally, we don’t have more than one or two such patients requiring surgeries in a year. But I had to do over 30 such surgeries in the last two months,” said eminent ENT surgeon Madan Kapre.”

“Covid patients get heavy doses of steroids and antibiotics during hospitalization, causing a dip in immunity levels. Those with diabetes have sugar levels several times higher than normal, which severely compromises their immunity. So, many such patients get fungal infections both during the infection and after recovery. The infection affects several parts of the body like the nose, eyes, and even the brain, creating a gangrene-like situation and thus requiring the removal of affected parts by surgery. I have removed the eyes of about 15 patients so far,” he added.

The common symptoms associated with the disease include headache, facial pain, nasal congestion, loss of vision or pain in the eyes, swelling in cheeks and eyes, and black crusts in the nose. The US Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates Mucormycosis with an overall all-cause mortality rate of 54 percent.