Cannot spread from person to person: Prof. Jennifer Perera
Ampara DGH death not due to ‘black fungus’
By Pamodi Waravita and Buddhika SamaraweeraBlack fungus or mucormycosis, which has affected thousands of people in India, cannot be spread from person to person, according to consultant microbiologist Prof. Jennifer Perera. “Black fungus is a misnomer. It is called that because of the loss of blood supply to parts of the body due to the growth of the fungus which causes that region to appear black. Sometimes, the fungus may even invade the blood vessels,” said Prof. Perera speaking to The Morning yesterday (24). She was responding to our queries as to the danger of a black fungus outbreak in Sri Lanka similar to that seen in neighbouring India. As of last week, India reported over 8,000 cases of the black fungus disease, especially in recovered and recovering Covid-19 patients. Doctors in the country have speculated that steroids used for the treatment of Covid-19 patients could be the cause of this. Prof. Perera too said that the cases being reported in India may be a result of the steroids that are being used to treat Covid-19 patients who are suffering from hypoxia – a very low saturation of oxygen. She stressed that steroids must only be used for a few days and in very small dosages, merely to overcome the hypoxia period of the patient. “Immunocompromised people are more vulnerable to mucormycosis. India has high numbers of diabetic patients who are also more vulnerable to Covid-19. Since millions of Covid-19 patients have so far been reported from India, this might be the reason as to why there are more reports of mucormycosis now,” she noted. Meanwhile, Ampara District General Hospital microbiologist Dr. Upul Priyadarshana said that the rumours that a Covid-19 patient who was receiving treatment at the said hospital had died of a black fungus infection, were false, noting that the patient in question had died due to an infection from a commonly seen fungus infection. He said that the patient had been infected with the said fungus before the latter was infected with Covid-19. The patient had been receiving treatment for a complication caused by leprosy and had used one of the drugs without the supervision of a doctor, Dr. Priyadarshana said, adding that the patient’s immune system may have been damaged due to it, which may have in turn led to the fungal infection. “There had been some change in the behaviour of this patient at the time of admission to the hospital. It was later discovered that the fungus was in his blood. Later, on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was conducted and it was there that he was found to have been infected with Covid-19,” he said. Black fungus is caused by mould found in damp environments like soil or compost, and can attack the respiratory tract. Several types of fungi can cause the disease. These fungi aren't harmful to most people, but can cause serious infections among those with weakened immune systems, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Black fungus commonly affects the sinuses or lungs after a person inhales fungal spores in the air, and can also affect the skin following a surface injury like a cut or burn. Symptoms depend on where in the body the fungus is growing, but can include facial swelling, fever, skin ulcers, and black lesions in the mouth.
