New Delhi: Amid the rise in black fungus cases, AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria on Monday said that fungal diseases are not a communicable disease and it does not spread from one person to another like COVID-19.
However, he also said that it is better to identify mucormycosis by its name rather than by the colour as labelling the same fungus with names of different colours can create confusion.
Addressing a press conference by the Union health ministry, Guleria clarified that no definite link of mucormycosis has been seen with oxygen therapy.
"Many patients taking treatment at home, who were not on oxygen therapy, have also been found to get infected with mucormycosis. So there is no definite link between oxygen therapy and catching the infection," he said.
"Labelling the same fungus with names of different colours can create confusion. Mucormycosis is not a communicable disease, unlike Covid-19. About 90-95 per cent of patients getting infected with mucormycosis are found to have been either diabetic and/or taking steroids. This infection is seen very rarely in those who are neither diabetic nor taking steroids," he said.
Guleria further said, "In general, there are various types of fungal infections such as candida, aspergillosis, cryptococcus, histoplasmosis and coccidioidomycosis. Mucormycosis, candida and aspergillosis are the ones observed more in those with low immunity."
Speaking about the prevalence of these infections, he noted, "Candida fungal infection can manifest with symptoms such as white patches in the mouth, oral cavities and tongue. It can infect private parts and can also be found in the blood (in which case it can become serious)."
"Aspergillosis, which is relatively not common, affects and invades lungs by creating cavities in the lungs. What is observed in COVID-19 is mostly mucormycosis; aspergillosis is observed occasionally, and Candida in some people," he explained.
On the challenges faced in treating mucormycosis, Guleria said, "Anti-fungal treatment goes on for many weeks so it is proving to be challenging for hospitals, since COVID-19 positive and negative patients who catch mucormycosis need to be housed in separate hospital wards."
Surgery also needs to be done judiciously since aggressive surgery for mucormycosis can have adverse outcomes for COVID-19 patients, he said.
"Maintaining proper hygiene is very important for diabetic patients since the chances of opportunistic infection are very high in such patients. Those using oxygen concentrators should ensure cleaning of humidifiers regularly," he said.