Ahmedabad:The Gujarat health department has issued an advisory to doctors and health officials after some COVID-19 patients were recently found infected with mucormycosis, saying it a serious but rare fungal infection and has an overall "mortality rate of 50 per cent".
As per the advisory issued on Monday, mucormycosis infects people with weak immune system and having other existing illnesses. The health department said the advisory is being issued after some coronavirus patients in Ahmedabad and Rajkot were found infected with mucormycosis, which is "serious but rare infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes".
It most commonly affects the sinuses or lungs after inhaling fungal spores from the air, or the skin after the fungus enters through a cut, burn or another type of skin injury." However, it can occur in any part of the body," said the advisory.It said though the "overall mortality rate is around 50 per cent", early identification and treatment can lead to better outcome.
The advisory said people having diabetes or cancer, or those who underwent organ transplant, stem cell transplant or people having too much iron in the body are at a greater risk of contracting this infection.