Amid the ongoing third wave of COVID-19, a 70-year-old was detected with the black fungus or mucormycosis at Wockhardt hospital, Mumbai Central. It is the fresh cases reported during the third wave. However, doctors said the patient is stable and is currently on intravenous antifungal and he still needs to undergo multiple debridements and will require antifungal treatment for a longer duration.
According to the hospital, the patient was admitted tested covid positive on January 5 following which he was admitted to Wockhardt Hospital on January 12 with the complaint of weakness and the blood sugar levels went up to 532 with the presence of urine ketones. “We immediately started the treatment of Diabetic ketoacidosis and did the necessary investigations. The patient was not on steroids. However, on the third day of admission, the patient complained about cheek pain which was unusual and there was swelling which was absent during the admission. MRI showed chronic sinusitis but no bony erosions,” said a doctor.
Dr Honey Savla, Consultant Internal Medicine, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central said the swelling and pain went on increasing on the left side of the face and he developed lid edemaptosis. The nasal swab was sent for Koh Mount which revealed the growth of fungal hyphae. “Around 9:00 pm an ENT surgeon did FESS with debridement and could see a blackish discolouration of the nasal cavity and debride the necrotic tissue which was further sent for necessary investigation. The investigations confirmed the growth of dreaded black fungus,” she added.
In May, when the second wave of COVID-19 was going on, the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs had declared Black Fungus as a 'notifiable disease' under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897. Mucormycosis was found in over 40,000 COVID-19 recovered patients in India, 741 in Mumbai.
