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What is Mucormycosis or Black Fungus?

COVID-19 disease

As the world still struggles to recover from life-threatening COVID-19 disease, the medical community has red-flagged another deadly infection called Mucormycosis or Black fungus. There are reports of recovering COVID-19 patients contracting Black fungus infection. Fungi is a pathogen that you might have observed in rotting fruits or food. Fungi constitute an important part of biodiversity on earth. Some fungal species even aid plants to absorb nutrients from the soil. One of the most path-breaking discoveries in the history of mankind is Penicillin, an antibiotic that is also obtained from fungus only. Fungi is present everywhere in our environment. But, a few types of fungi can severely infect human beings. The rising number of Black fungus infection cases throughout India is concerning. Let’s first learn a few basics about this infection.

 

 

What is Black Fungus Infection?

Black Fungus infection is neither a new disease nor contagious, it is an aggressive infection caused by a group of fungi called ‘mucormycetes’. The CDC has recognized this infection as a rare but deadly disease. It can adversely impact many organs in the human body. In the recent cases of the infection, it is distinctly causing infection in the ear, mouth, nose, and even brain. According to reports, it can cause blindness and jaw damage, which turns black due to the Black Fungus. It can also be very harmful and even fatal if left untreated.

What are the symptoms?

Many doctors and experts have listed out a few symptoms to watch out for the Black Fungus infection. They include blood discharge from the nose, stuffy nose, blackish discharge from the nose, swelling or pain in jaws, eyelid drooping, and eyes turning reddish. Antifungal drugs are the best line of treatment for this infection.

What causes the Black fungus infection?

Co-morbidity of Diabetes or underlying immunodeficiency is called the most common cause of Black fungus infection. According to an estimate, underlying diabetes was reported in 54% to 76% of the cases. The most immediate trigger is the overuse of steroids as a treatment for COVID-19. Indiscriminate use of steroidal medicines in COVID-19 patients having diabetes can cause their sugar levels to rise. Dr. V. Mohan, senior diabetologist, has called steroids a “double-edged sword” that needs to be administered judiciously. When the sugar levels of a diabetic COVID-19 patient suddenly spike, it makes them vulnerable to this infection. The Indian Council for Medical Research has issued an advisory listing the following conditions in COVID-19 patients as more susceptible to Black Fungus infection:

  • Unmanaged Diabetes Mellitus
  • Compromised immune system due to overdose of steroids
  • Elongated ICU or hospital stay
  • Post organ transplant or cancer
  • Voriconazole therapy (rigorous treatment for severe fungal infection)

How to prevent Black Fungus? 

Listen to the Experts!  

Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said that “Awareness and early diagnosis can help curb the spread of fungal infection.”

AIIMS director Dr. Guleria noted that black fungus infection cases are rising due to overuse of steroids. He also urged the doctors and patients to follow protocols of infection control practices. He has listed down following precautions to avoid the infection:

  1. Manage sugar levels for diabetic patients.
  2. Use masks consistently, especially when visiting a construction site.
  3. Avoid misuse of high-dose steroids.
  4. Practice personal hygiene.
  5. Early detection and prompt treatment.

As the great saying goes, “Prevention is better than cure”, lookout for early signs and take precautions to avoid contracting COVID-19. If you experience any COVID-19 related symptoms, get tested as soon as possible.  

Book your COVID Antigen test at Onedios.

 
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Industry Talk

How did UK manage its COVID-19 crisis?

COVID-19 has ravaged throughout the world like a wildfire, delegating us to an uncomfortable standstill. Governments around the globe have framed their COVID-19 response policies as per their specific national requirements and limitations. Since the novel Coronavirus is a new virus, policymakers had to face impediments in fighting this invisible enemy. The challenge of the once-in-a-century event faced by the United Kingdom has been no exception. But, in the retrospect, UK’s handling of coronavirus appears to have fared well, when compared to other countries and the EU. In a recent survey by Ipsos MORI, 67% or two-thirds of respondents believed that UK’s handling COVID-19 crisis was better than other EU countries.

Death rates in the UK have plummeted to single-digit numbers and daily positive cases have also shown a persistent downward trend. Despite the earlier spread of virulent UK variant B.1.1.7, the country is set to ease lockdown restrictions under a four-step plan. Britons will now be able to meet indoors and enjoy the services of pubs, restaurants, and cafes once again. The UK model shows the light of hope and positivity during grim circumstances that other countries are still facing.

Let’s have a look at few key measures that UK took to battle its COVID-19 crisis:

Operation Last Gasp

Operation Last Gasp was a war-style effort to mobilise manufacturing companies to produce more ventilators. The national effort was rolled out last year to tackle the immediate increasing demand for the health system. As the COVID-19 virus affects the lungs, a need was felt to deploy more ventilators. This initiative was meant to ramp up preparations to protect vulnerable individuals, who might need intensive care.

Oxford Vaccine development

According to an estimate, $96.7m of funding for research and development of the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine came from the UK government and the rest of the funding was from charitable trusts, private donations, and other governments. The development of ChAdox vaccine technology was supported by cooperative efforts of government and accomplished researchers at Oxford. This vaccine was developed in a record short time of just eleven months. However, research towards this breakthrough took years of consistent time and effort by scientists and epidemiologists.

Vaccine policy

The government of the UK realised early on the paramount importance of Vaccination to protect the citizens and get the economy back on track. British authorities ordered millions of doses of vaccine vials from multiple companies. They employed a graded approach in the vaccine policy. The more vulnerable and high-risk population was vaccinated first, taking into account the heavy death toll experienced during the first wave. The success of the bold Vaccine policy is the reason the UK is now able to recover from long and intermittent lockdown restrictions.

Track and Trace

Over the time, UK was able to scale the track and trace system. Contact tracing was an efficient way to track infected people and their close contacts during the initial months of the Pandemic. It is utilised to prolong the spread of COVID-19 infection, in order to provide the health system a breathing space and ramp up the infrastructure accordingly. The UK also used the NHS contact tracing app to trace the suspected infected individuals and isolate them.

Policymaking

The UK government ran an awareness campaign with the slogan “Stay alert, control the virus, save lives”. This raised awareness among the public to not let their guards down and influence behavioral aspects to break the chain of the COVID-19 virus. The concept of ‘support bubbles’ was also carried out to help people who had been isolated due to the lockdowns. A ‘support bubble’ consists of two households that are allowed to interact and ease out Pandemic fatigue through these engagements.

Transparency and accountability

The Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson, has announced a public inquiry to investigate the government’s COVID-19 response and mitigation. The Commission will launch the inquiry next year during the spring. Such transparent steps by a government raise public confidence and allow holding the authorities accountable for their actions. During the handling of the COVID-19 crisis, Prime Minister Boris Johnson also made a public statement saying “sorry for every life lost” and took “full responsibility”. A government in-action that keeps the public informed is essential in combating an immense crisis, as posed by the COVID-19 pandemic

 

The optimism in the UK exhibits an assurance that the world can soon emerge out of the pandemic and learn to manage it better. Efforts in India to grapple with the second wave have also accelerated. The vaccination strategy has been modified to allow the 18-45 years age group to get vaccinated. Multiple Vaccine manufacturers are being approved to increase the manufacturing capacity. One of the vaccine manufacturers, Bharat Biotech, has also agreed to share vaccine formula to ramp up the production as soon as possible. It is the responsibility of individual citizens to remain cautious with best behavioral practices and get vaccinated as soon as a slot is available.

Onedios COVID-19 Vaccine Slot Finder helps you navigate through the vaccine slot availability in your area so that you can book your appointment without delay. Another feature of Vaccination Dashboard on the Onedios app enables you to stay informed of current trends and statistics about reliable data in a user-friendly format. It informs you about the data regarding the number of sites conducting vaccination, total registrations, and total vaccination doses in real-time.

 
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Industry Talk

COVID 19 Mutations and Variants.

The novel Coronavirus has caused havoc throughout the world and impacted every phase of life, disrupting normal day-to-day activities. Covid-19, caused by SARS- Cov-1, is one of the large family of viruses distinctly recognized for having crown-like spikes on its outer layer, which it uses to attach itself with human receptor cells, causing the disease. According to WHO, these viruses can mutate several times in their natural lifecycles resulting in new variants. These variants can be more virulent and even more fatal in most cases. In other cases, the impact of mutations on human health might eventually die down and become harmless to human beings, as the Darwin theory stipulates.

 

 

There are currently multiple virus mutations in circulation, of which two are of particular concern to the medical community. These are primarily the variants that have caused the second wave of infections in several countries, resulting in a massive spike in positivity rates.

 

What is a mutation?

A mutation refers to a change that occurs in our DNA sequence. This may cause a change in its behavior and effectiveness. In current variants, one mutation, in particular, has improved the capability of the virus to bind with proteins in human cells called receptors. This binding affinity seen in current mutants is 40-80% more transmissible during the second wave. The new ‘double mutant’ has been identified in 80-82% of samples collected from India, which is causing immune-escape in the body of an infected individual and chances of increased transmissibility, but it has been said to be less deadly according to studies. It has proven to be at least 15% more virulent in preliminary studies.

 

What are the mutations circulating in India?

WHO has recently classified COVID mutation in India as a “variant of concern”. Indian mutation of COVID 19 has been named B.1.617, which is highly contagious. Epidemiologists suggest that this variant famously called “double mutant” is a result of thirteen mutations. Out of all thirteen mutations, two are of particular concern, hence called a ‘double mutant’. These mutations have caused modifications in the spike protein on the Coronavirus. Mutations are natural in any virus and there can be multiple numbers of them floating in the population. India has detected 24,000 mutations in 7000 variants of the COVID 19 virus. But only a few are the cause of concern.

In some samples in India, a UK-type variant of the COVID 19 virus is detected. B.1.1.7 is it’s name. It has accumulated 23 mutations across 5 genes. 

Experts have also suggested that these mutations might even escape the RT-PCR tests. But such incidences are very rare. 

 

Is the new mutant a cause of worry?

Mutations of the virus in new variants can potentially evade the neutralizing effect of natural bodily immune-response. It means that even if you have recovered from a previous variant, you can still get reinfected with it. However, ICMR notifications say that infected people who have already recovered from a primary infection would be very mild. It points towards the fact that vaccines would shield you from the possibility of severe infection in the future. The good news is that COVAXIN has been confirmed to be effective against this mutant, one of the two vaccines currently available in India, It is the only silver lining of hope people can rely on in current scenarios.

 

How does a vaccine impact virus mutation?

As the virus changes its nature, it is necessary to consider whether already developed vaccines are going to be effective against them or not. Research is going on to understand the modification of their genetic material and how it might affect vaccine development. But, a general medical view holds that even if the vaccine becomes less effective towards any new mutant, there is a possibility to make changes in the vaccine’s component raw material to improve antibody response and vaccine efficacy.

There is no need to worry about the effectiveness of a vaccine as a vaccine can be altered as per the need.  it is necessary to get vaccinated as soon as you can. Vaccination is the last line of defense to protect oneself against infection by the Experts.