<keyword id="6358777" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-Delhi">New Delhi</keyword>, India has so far reported approximately cases of 8,848 mucormycosis or black fungus, one of the rapidly spreading infections observed in those recovering from Covid-19. Taking note of the increasing numbers, the Central government has emphasised upon expediting the allocation of <keyword id="1644776" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="vials">vials</keyword> of Amphotericin-B, a key drug to treat raging mucormycosis. In this direction, the Union minister of chemicals and fertilisers D.V. Sadananda Gowda has announced an allocation of 23,680 additional vials of Amphotericin-B. The minister also informed that the allocation has been made based on total number of <keyword id="6364395" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="patients">patients</keyword> which is approximately 8,848 across the country. Gujarat (5,800) and Maharashtra (5,090) have been allocated the maximum number of the additional Amphotericin-B vials followed by Andhra Pradesh (2,310), Madhya Pradesh (1,830), Rajasthan (1,780), <keyword id="6354780" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karnataka">Karnataka</keyword> (1,270). Gujarat has reported maximum of 2,281 <keyword id="10899409" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mucormycosis-cases">mucormycosis cases</keyword> followed by Maharashtra (2,000), Andhra Pradesh (910), Madhya Pradesh (720) Rajasthan (700), Karnataka (5,00), Haryana (250), Delhi (197), <keyword id="6354953" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="punjab">Punjab</keyword> (95), Chhattisgarh (87), Bihar (56), <keyword id="20154" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword> (40), Kerala (36), Jharkhand (27), Odisha (15), Goa (12) and Chandigarh (8). Mucormycosis is a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes that has been developing in Covid-19 patients. The fungal disease is commonly being observed in patients who were given steroids for a long time, who have been hospitalised for a long time, were on oxygen support or ventilator, faced poor hospital hygiene or those who have been taking medication for other illnesses such as diabetes. If not treated on time, the black fungus infection can turn fatal. The Covid medications can leave the body weak and low on immunity. They can also escalate the blood sugar levels in both diabetics and non-diabetic Covid-19 patients. SEE ALSO <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/esper-an-android-based-development-platform-raises-30-million-as-pandemic-accelerates-adoption-of-intelligent-devices/articleshow/82822560.cms">Esper, an Android-based development platform, raises $30 million as pandemic accelerates adoption of intelligent devices</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/the-number-of-working-women-in-india-has-been-steadily-declining-heres-why/articleshow/82823052.cms">The number of working women in India has been steadily declining, here’s why</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/indian-government-asks-whatsapp-to-scrap-its-privacy-policy-calls-it-unfair-and-discriminatory/articleshow/82796725.cms">Indian government threatens legal action against WhatsApp’s new privacy policy – WhatsApp refuses to back down</a>

23,000 more Amphotericin vials allocated as Black Fungus cases rise to 8,848 in India

New The Union <keyword id="210071" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Health">Ministry of Health</keyword> and Family Welfare has made efforts to ramp up supply and availability of Amphotericin-B, the anti-fungal drug used in treatment of <keyword id="11280340" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="black-fungus-disease">Black Fungus disease</keyword>. A statement from the government said on Friday, "In May 2021, 3,63,000 vials of Amphotericin-B will be imported, thereby resulting in total availability in the country (inclusive of the domestic production) of 5,26752 vials, --3,15,000 vials will be imported in June 2021. along with the domestic supply, the countrywide availability of Amphotericin-B will be enhanced to 5,70,114 vials in June 2021." Several States and UTs have reported an increasing number of patients suffering from Covid complications in the form of Mucormycosis, popularly known as <keyword id="10432869" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="black-fungus">Black Fungus</keyword>. There is also a reported shortage of Amphotericin-B, an anti-fungal drug used for treatment of the Black Fungus disease. The production capacity of the existing companies was extremely limited in the month of April 2021. As a result of the hand-holding by <keyword id="6377129" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="government-of-india">Government of India</keyword>, these domestic manufactures will cumulatively produce 1,63,752 vials of Amphotericin-B in May 2021. This will be further ramped up to 2,55,114 vials in the month of June 2021. Union Ministry of Health said five more manufacturers have been given the licence to produce the anti-fungal drug within the country. Cumulatively, these companies will start producing 1,11,000 vials of Amphotericin-B per month from July 2021. The <keyword id="83655" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-health-ministry">Union Health Ministry</keyword> and Deptt. of Pharmaceuticals are together trying to facilitate these five manufacturers to bring forward some of this production so that these additional supplies begin in June 2021. The Union Ministry of Health in collaboration with MEA is also actively exploring other global sources from where the Amphotericin-B drug can be imported. Union Health Ministry is also trying to procure other antifungal drugs which can be used in treatment of Black Fungus. SEE ALSO <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/esper-an-android-based-development-platform-raises-30-million-as-pandemic-accelerates-adoption-of-intelligent-devices/articleshow/82822560.cms">Esper, an Android-based development platform, raises $30 million as pandemic accelerates adoption of intelligent devices</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/the-number-of-working-women-in-india-has-been-steadily-declining-heres-why/articleshow/82823052.cms">The number of working women in India has been steadily declining, here’s why</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/indian-government-asks-whatsapp-to-scrap-its-privacy-policy-calls-it-unfair-and-discriminatory/articleshow/82796725.cms">Indian government threatens legal action against WhatsApp’s new privacy policy – WhatsApp refuses to back down</a>

Black fungus: Union health ministry ramps up supply of Amphotericin-B drug used in treatment

The <keyword id="6355014" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="delhi-high-court">Delhi High Court</keyword> on Thursday allowed <keyword id="6380276" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Duty">duty</keyword> free import of Amphotericin B, used for treating <keyword id="10432869" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="black-fungus">black fungus</keyword> patients, on furnishing of a bond by the importers, till the final decision by <keyword id="6356303" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Centre">Centre</keyword> on waiving customs duty. A bench comprising Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said, "We direct that if any import is made by any person of this drug (Amphotericin B), it shall be allowed on a bond furnished by the importer without the actual duty being paid, till a decision is taken by the Centre." The bench observed that the medicine is essential to save lives of several thousands of people suffering from mucormycosis. In the backdrop of shortage of the medicine in the country, the <keyword id="6355392" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="High-Court">High Court</keyword> emphasised that the Centre should seriously consider waiving customs duty for a limited period or till issues with shortage of medicine exists. On the aspect of the bond for importing the medicine, the High Court said any person can import Amphotericin B and if any import is made by any person, it should be cleared by accepting the bond from the importer without actual payment of duty till the Centre takes a final decision in the matter. SEE ALSO <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-moves-the-delhi-high-court-against-indias-new-it-laws-says-report/articleshow/82965251.cms">WhatsApp moves the Delhi High Court against India’s new IT laws, says report</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/cyclone-yaas-will-unleash-its-fury-for-another-12-to-18-hours-after-making-landfall/articleshow/82964922.cms">Cyclone Yaas will unleash its fury for another 12 to 18 hours after making landfall</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-is-giving-away-9000-worth-google-stadia-bundle-for-free-but-its-not-available-in-india/articleshow/82965884.cms">OnePlus is giving away ₹9,000 worth Google Stadia bundle for free – but it’s not available in India</a>

Delhi High Court allows duty-free import of black fungus drug Amphotericin B

<ul class="summary-list"><li>As of June, there were more than 31,000 cases of "<keyword id="10432869" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="black-fungus">black fungus</keyword>" infections in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>. </li><li>That was a 150% increase over the prior three weeks. </li><li>Those infections have been on the rise among COVID-19 survivors in the country. </li></ul>A puzzling epidemic of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-patients-in-india-are-developing-life-threatening-black-fungus-2021-5">black fungus</a> in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-coronavirus-daily-death-toll-break-global-record-2021-5">India</a> is spiraling out of control, with tens of thousands of COVID-19 survivors now battling the infection which can lead to blindness and death. On June 11, <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/black-fungus-cases-grow-150-in-3-weeks-to-31-000-deaths-over-2-100-2461502" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NDTV</a> reported that there were 31,216 cases of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oman-reports-cases-of-covid-19-patients-with-black-fungus-2021-6">mucormycosis</a> in the country and 2,109 deaths due to the infection - a 150% increase over the previous three weeks. The government in India has not released official numbers, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/20/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-mask?type=styln-live-updates&amp;label=coronavirus%20updates&amp;index=0&amp;action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=Homepage#indias-black-fungus-epidemic-spreads-in-the-wake-of-covid-crisiswake-of-covid-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>. But last month, Prime Minister <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/narendra-modi-profile-2015-11">Narendra Modi</a> called black fungus a "new challenge" in the COVID-19 outbreak, <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-pm-narendra-modi-says-have-to-make-vaccinatio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NDTV</a> reported at the time. While it's unclear what exactly has caused the surge in mucormycosis cases among COVID-19 survivors, doctors have theorized that it is connected to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-hospitals-run-out-of-oxygen-amid-covid-19-surge-2021-4">oxygen shortages</a> during India's most recent surge, The Times reports. To help patients breathe when bottled oxygen wasn't available, doctors resorted to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/steroids-may-help-covid-19-patients-survive-research-shows-2020-9">steroid injections</a>, which may have weakened patients' immune systems and made them more vulnerable to fungal spores in the air. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-covid-19-patients-are-developing-deadly-fungal-infections-2021-5">Patients with diabetes are also already more susceptible</a> to black fungus, and India is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of diabetes, according to the <a href="https://diabetesatlas.org/en/sections/demographic-and-geographic-outline.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">International Diabetes Foundation</a>. Exacerbating the black fungus outbreak is the fact that there's a shortage of a key anti-fungal medicine - amphotericin-B - to treat it, NDTV reported.

Tens of thousands of COVID-19 survivors in India are developing deadly 'black fungus' infections that can lead to blindness

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jose Leon developed worsening flu-like symptoms this spring, but tested negative for COVID. </li><li>It took about a month for him to be diagnosed with Valley fever. By then, fungus covered his lungs.</li></ul>Jose and Carmen Leon thought they could finally exhale.The couple in Lemoore, California, had gotten through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic with five kids at home, and survived Carmen's three-week hospitalization with the virus in late 2021.They'd bought a house, and were ready for their next prosperous chapter of life. Then, in March 2022, Leon got sick. "Finally when we feel like, OK, we're getting better, we're back on our feet, we're able to work and he got hit with this," Carmen, a receptionist at an ophthalmology office, told Insider. "This" was <a href="https://www.insider.com/valley-fever-deadly-fungal-infection-spreading-north-climate-change-2019-9">Valley fever, a potentially deadly fungal infection</a> that's been on the rise in recent years.But Jose didn't get diagnosed until about a month after his symptoms began. All the while, his condition deteriorated, and he's still recovering today. "Things would have been much better," he told Insider, "if I would have gotten diagnosed earlier." <h2>Leon became so fatigued he couldn't care for his baby </h2>Leon, a 40-year-old machine operator at a cheese factory, used to weigh about 200 pounds and work out almost every day. But this past spring, he started getting winded at the gym and found himself so fatigued he'd jog in place at work just to stay awake.At home, he'd need to lie down. "And I hate laying down," said Jose, who worked nights and cared for the kids during the day. A couple of weeks later, he developed <a href="https://www.insider.com/valley-fever-fungal-infection-spreading-in-southwest-2019-6">a cough and body aches, then fevers and night sweats</a>. But he was double-vaccinated against COVID, and tests continued to come back negative. At one point, Jose felt so sick he called his oldest daughter home from high school to watch her 1-year-old sister. "That was one of the signs for me," said Carmen, who was working at the time. "I was like, 'Something is really wrong' because he's never not been able to" take care of the baby. <div type="image" title="Jose Leon before and during his illness." height="2048" width="2048" msid="93808151" hostid="261"></div>At a local clinic, the doctor told Jose she suspected Valley fever, but Jose's primary care doctor didn't take her recommendation to test Jose for it. Instead, the doctor conducted chest X-rays, which looked so damaged Jose was instructed to go straight to the emergency room. But even there, clinicians thought it was a bad case of COVID. Carmen said they sent him home with medications including steroids to take for a week, but Jose wasn't getting better. "He stopped wanting to get out of bed, he didn't want to eat," Carmen said. So she took him to the emergency room again, where he was eventually diagnosed with Valley fever. The infectious disease doctor raised the urgency of his case from a 7 (not so bad) to a 1 (very bad), Carmen said. "At this point, his lungs were full-blown white, they were full-blown pneumonia, up into his throat," Carmen said. As someone who grew up in the Valley and had been told he had some immunity against the infection, Jose couldn't believe his diagnosis. "I was in shock," he said. By then, he said, he'd lost about 50 pounds. <h2>Jose may be on antifungal pills for life</h2>Jose was treated with amphotericin B, a strong IV antifungal medication. He stayed in the hospital through the end of July to receive injections because his insurance wouldn't cover them in outpatient care. Over the summer months, Carmen cut back to part-time work, rotating between home with the kids and the hospital with Jose. "It was very difficult," she said. "At times, we had no money coming in." Carmen's sister started a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/jose-leon-and-family">GoFundMe account</a> to help with medical costs. Jose also missed his eldest's high-school graduation and his youngest's first words. "For four months, he was out of the house, which is not normal for us," Carmen said. "I know it sounds sappy, but we're always with our children, we're always with each other." <div type="image" title="Jose Leon sits with his family around him at his daughter's high school graduation" height="586" width="782" msid="93808152" hostid="261"></div>Now, Jose is home, but far from back to normal. He takes an oral antifungal medication daily that he may be on for life, and can't return to work until 2023 at the earliest. "I feel way better," he said, but that's relative: Now, Jose said, "I feel like I'm waking up with the flu every day." He's also constantly constipated and has an altered sense of smell and taste. When Carmen asked the doctor if there was anything else the the family could do to support Jose's recovery, she said, "move out of California." "That's not an option for us," Carmen said. <h2>Most people who inhale the fungus that causes Valley fever don't get sick </h2>Valley fever, or Coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by inhaling spores of Coccidioides fungus, which is found in soil.Not everyone who inhales the spores will get sick, but about 40% of those who do develop flu-like symptoms, Insider's Gabby Landsverk <a href="https://www.insider.com/valley-fever-deadly-fungal-infection-spreading-north-climate-change-2019-9">previously reported</a>. Around 1 in 10 patients can have serious side effects, like permanent lung damage. Rarely, people with Valley fever die if the infection spreads to places like the skin, joints, or spinal cord. It's not contagious, but the spores have been increasingly found in unexpected areas, like Washington and Oregon, likely due to climate change. Jose said he wants people to be aware of Valley fever as a potential cause of flu-like symptoms. "People need to know that it's out there and test for it," he said. "Make sure you catch it early, because the fungus grows."

A man thought he had COVID. It turned out to be a deadly fungal infection that spreads through dust.

As many as 52 people have died due to <keyword id="2341825" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="mucormycosis">Mucormycosis</keyword>, a rare but dangerous fungal infection, in Maharashtra since the <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> outbreak last year, a senior health department official said on Friday. All of them were COVID-19 survivors, but succumbed to the <keyword id="10432869" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="black-fungus">black fungus</keyword> infection, the official said. For the first time, the state health department has compiled a list of deaths caused by black fungus," said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. On Wednesday, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope had said there were 1,500 cases of black fungus in the state, which is in the throes of a severe second wave of COVID-19. Early symptoms include greyish-black crusting/pigmentation in the nose or oral cavity that may enlarge and block the nasal cavity. Another symptom could be spores of <keyword id="11255076" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="fungus-depositing">fungus depositing</keyword> near the eyes that leads to ocular swelling. Some patients may get lesions over the cheeks. The symptoms usually start revealing themselves a day or two after recovery. Eight patients in Maharashtra have been admitted after they lost vision in one eye. Rising Mucormycosis cases, whose treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach, is expected to put a further burden on the state's healthcare infrastructure which is already under a strain. The fungus thrives in hospitals where there is improper sterilisation of ventilator circuits and oxygen pipes. “Since, in the treatment of severe covid patients who need prolonged oxygen therapy through high-flow oxygen given through nostrils, via a ventilator, Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP), non-rebreathing mask (NRM), etc., the risk of getting this opportunistic infection increases,” Dr Vashishtha told Business Insider earlier. The state will float a tender to procure one lakh Amphotericin-B anti-fungal injections to treat Mucormycosis patients, Tope had said a couple of days back. Mucormycosis has a very high fatality rate and this has increased the woes of the health department which has deployed all its resources to combat COVID-19. Mucormycosis was not a notified disease like malaria and hence its cases were not mapped and a database was not prepared, the official said. As per health experts cited by news agency PTI, Mucormycosis is mostly found among COVID-19 patients who have diabetes, fluctuation in sugar level or increased iron level in the blood. Tope has said patients with suppressed immune system and co-morbidities are vulnerable to contract the disease. As part of a contingency plan to treat Mucormycosis patients, the state government has decided to set up separate wards for them at hospitals attached to 18 medical colleges. With inputs from PTI SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/four-reasons-why-cryptocurrency-ethereum-has-been-on-a-bull-run/articleshow/82606761.cms">Four reasons why cryptocurrency Ethereum has been on a bull run</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/elon-musk-realised-that-he-cant-champion-both-renewable-energy-and-bitcoin-at-the-same-time/articleshow/82603087.cms">Elon Musk realised that he can’t champion both renewable energy and Bitcoin at the same time — here’s why</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/the-zenfone-8-is-androids-iphone-12-mini/articleshow/82599750.cms">The Zenfone 8 is Android’s iPhone 12 mini</a>

Covid-related black fungus has claimed 52 lives in Maharashtra so far, according to official  data

<ul><li><keyword id="2341825" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mucormycosis">Mucormycosis</keyword>, also known as <keyword id="10432869" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="black-fungus">Black Fungus</keyword>, is a <keyword id="10571334" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="rare-fungal-infection">rare fungal infection</keyword> primarily contracted in the <keyword id="57843" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Intensive-Care-Unit">Intensive Care Unit</keyword> (ICU) of a hospital and can be pretty fatal — from losing vision to losing your life.</li><li>Early symptoms include greyish-black crusting/pigmentation in the nose or oral cavity that may enlarge and block the nasal cavity.</li><li>“We must educate healthcare workers, paramedics, and ICU technicians to frequently change flow meters’ water and sterilise oxygen tubing. Most importantly, only distilled water must be used, no tap/filter/RO water.” - Dr Vipin M. Vashishtha.</li></ul> Disclaimer: This should not be considered medical advice. Please check with your doctor on medical procedures. While the mortifying effects of the pandemic continue to hold our country to ransom, there is another rather fatal infection lingering in the background that doctors are witnessing in dozens of <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> patients, and that is called Mucormycosis. Also known as Black Fungus, this rare fungal infection is primarily contracted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital and can be pretty fatal — from losing vision to losing your life. But this is not a new phenomenon. Dr Vipin M. Vashishtha — former convener, IAP Committee on Immunisation, and paediatrician at Mangla Hospital and Research Centre, <keyword id="67012" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bijnor">Bijnor</keyword>, UP — tells <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> that “Many ICUs where prolonged oxygen is being used with improper sterilisation and where tap water instead of distilled water is used, this and other fungal infections can emerge.” Forty cases of the life-threatening infection have been detected in <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/coronavirus-outbreak/story/black-fungus-mucormycosis-detected-covid19-survivors-8-lose-eyesight-surat-fungal-infection-symptoms-1799971-2021-05-07">Surat</a>, Gujarat, of which eight have lost their eyesight. In Delhi’s Sir <keyword id="237993" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ganga-Ram-Hospital">Ganga Ram Hospital</keyword> (SGRH), six <a href="https://zeenews.india.com/health/delhi-hospital-reports-cases-of-covid-triggered-mucormycosis-here-s-all-you-need-to-know-about-it-2360268.html">patients</a> with Mucormycosis have been admitted in the past few days. Sometimes called Zygomycosis, this infection caused by fungi belonging to the order <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3286196/">Mucorales, </a>targets patients whose immunity is low. It is caused by various kinds of fungi that are often found in <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000649.htm">decaying</a> organic matter like spoiled bread, fruit, and vegetables, and in this case, the devices that are providing much-required oxygen to patients. And despite aggressive therapy, the overall mortality rate is high. The symptoms usually start revealing themselves a day or two after recovery. Early symptoms include greyish-black crusting/pigmentation in the nose or oral cavity that may enlarge and block the nasal cavity. Another symptom could be spores of fungus depositing near the eyes that leads to ocular swelling. Some patients may get lesions over the cheeks. At a later stage, this fungus can make its way to the brain. It is quite a severe disease, and fatality can go up to 50%. Treatments include antifungal drugs like Amphotericin-B that are given intravenously and other supportive therapy. The fungus thrives in hospitals where there is improper sterilisation of ventilator circuits and oxygen pipes. “Since, in the treatment of severe covid patients who need prolonged oxygen therapy through high-flow oxygen given through nostrils, via a ventilator, Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP), non-rebreathing mask (<keyword id="3383136" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="NRM">NRM</keyword>), etc., the risk of getting this opportunistic infection increases,” Dr Vashishtha adds. At a place where our healthcare situation is grim, to say the least, contracting this rare fungal infection that could be avoided is yet another reminder that our healthcare system has entirely collapsed. Dr Vashishtha stresses that “we must educate healthcare workers, paramedics, and ICU technicians to frequently change flow meters’ water and sterilise oxygen tubing. Most importantly, only distilled water must be used, no tap/filter/RO water.” SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/gautam-adani-net-worth-has-crossed-60-billion-as-per-forbes/articleshow/82454659.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Gautam Adani’s net worth has crossed $60 billion – thanks to Adani Ports’ profits</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/good-news-for-tata-steel-jsw-steel-sail-hindalco-and-other-indian-steel-companies/articleshow/82451127.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">China has broken another emissions record ⁠— and it is good news for some Indian companies</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-is-now-automatically-turning-on-two-factor-authentication-for-some-accounts/articleshow/82452629.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Google is now automatically turning on two-factor authentication for some accounts</a>

A potentially lethal fungal disease is creeping into recovering Covid-19 patients, and the prognosis is not good

<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52d9b2eceab8eafd48c10be7-1200-858/7315395230_00061dbccd_h.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="American Southwest Desert Sand Storm" width="800" /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24141546@N06/7315395230">EladeManu / Flickr</a></div></div>Every year, there are about 150,000 cases of a disease whose impact in the deserts of the American Southwest "is equal to the impact of polio... before the vaccine," John Galgiani, an infectious-disease physician <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/01/20/140120fa_fact_goodyear" target="_blank">told Dana Goodyear</a>. 
Reported cases have increased tenfold between 1998 and 2011, "and in the most severe cases," Goodyear writes in <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/01/20/140120fa_fact_goodyear" target="_blank">The New Yorker</a>, there is "no cure."
What is it?
A little-researched and little-known disease called valley fever (or "cocci"), which people can get when they inhale a fungus named Coccidioides immitis, found in dirt and dust. Two-thirds of cases occur in Arizona, where "in 2012, valley fever was the second-most-reported disease."
The fungus infects the lungs, but can also spread to the skin, bones, liver, brain, heart, and the membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord.
Sixty percent of people infected with valley fever show no symptoms, and even in those who do, it can resemble a simple flu and clears itself without treatment. But in some, Goodyear reports, it is far worse:
A small subset of patients will suffer long-term health problems; in fewer still, cocci will disseminate from the lungs into other tissue - skin, bones, and, often fatally, the meninges of the brain. For those with cocci meningitis, the treatment can be brutal. Three times a week, in the hospital, patients are administered an anti-fungal called amphotericin B - "amphoterrible" is how doctors refer to it - with a needle to the base of the skull. To prevent headaches, patients sometimes rest for several hours with their feet elevated above their heads. 
One patient, a twenty-six-year-old white woman who caught valley fever four years ago, told me that the medicine made her vomit non-stop on a negative incline. She was temporarily paralyzed, underwent three brain surgeries, and has had twenty-two spinal taps. Not long after her diagnosis, the doctors told her mother to make funeral arrangements. Now they tell her she will be on anti-fungals, funnelled through a shunt in her brain, for the rest of her life.
Activities like construction and drilling can kick up the spores of Coccidioides immitis, which are easily spread by the region's hot, dry desert winds.
"With the Southwest drying out and heating up, and development pushing deeper into uninhabited terrain," Goodyear writes, "the range of cocci is likely to increase."
Spores can also travel to faraway places in shipping containers and even donated organs. One Michigan man Goodyear talks to fell sick after buying a used car from Phoenix.
While valley fever is easy to catch and can be extremely serious - even fatal - there is little research funding available for a disease whose impact is so geographically limited. (Beyond Arizona, other affected areas include California, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, and parts of Central and South America.)
Working with the spores in a lab also poses a major hazard. Goodyear notes that "a group of obstetrics students got [valley fever], though their classroom was two stories above the cocci lab."
A upcoming clinical trial in California has been designed to establish treatment guidelines for those already infected, but most research toward a vaccine still has a long way to go.
<h3><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/01/20/140120fa_fact_goodyear?currentPage=all">Read the whole story at The New Yorker &gt;&gt;</a></h3>

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