India has reported 259,551 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, and the death toll has increased by 4,209 due to the increase in cases of mycosis (a type of fungus called “black fungus”), further complicating treatment.

Data released by the Ministry of Health on Friday showed that the total number of infections in this South Asian country was 26.03 million and the death toll was 291,331.

“Black fungus” poses new challenges for COVID-19 patients receiving steroid therapy and patients with previous diabetes.

It can cause blackening or discoloration of the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and coughing.

Doctors believe that the use of steroids to treat severe COVID-19 may be the cause of this condition. Coronavirus patients with diabetes and weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable.

Many drugs used to fight the coronavirus suppress the body’s immune system, and the immune system can usually resist fungal infections.

The government will not send an alert to the state

The Ministry of Health of India asked state governments on Thursday to declare it as a “notifiable disease” under the Epidemiology Act, which means they must identify and track each case.

The government warned that teams of reconstruction and general surgeons and ear, nose and throat specialists must be prepared to treat more and more patients.

All parts of India have also ordered emergency measures to deal with the surge in rare infections among coronavirus patients.

On the second day in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Telangana became the latest states to declare a black fungus epidemic.

More than 2,000 cases have been reported in Maharashtra. Officials say there are about 1,200 in Gujarat, the hometown of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A spokesperson said that Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, one of Gujarat’s largest hospitals, is treating 371 patients. Health officials said there were about 400 cases in the government hospital in Rajkot City.

New Delhi has set up special wards in three hospitals to cope with the increase in the number of black fungus.

According to media reports, there are more than 200 black fungus patients in the New Delhi hospital, and dozens of them are on the waiting list for hospital beds.

The doctor said that the IT center in Bangalore opened a special ward on Wednesday and filled the vacancy within a few hours.

India usually handles less than 20 cases of “black fungus” each year, but this infection has become a new threat to the coronavirus wave, which has killed 120,000 people in the past six weeks.

Although the authorities did not say how many people died of the fungus, the infection killed more than 50% of patients within a few days. In some cases, the surgeon will remove the eyes and upper jaw to save lives.

Antifungal drugs are a recent shortage of India’s strained medical system, and social media is flooded with requests from relatives of patients suffering from mucormycosis, pleading for drugs.

Black fungus is caused by organisms called slime molds, which can enter the human body through breathing or skin damage.

These naturally exist in soil and decaying organic matter, but once they enter the human body, they can infect the forehead, nose, cheeks, and air pockets between the eyes and teeth.

Some doctors say that steroids have been urgently used to fight COVID-19, which helps the spread of black fungus.

Maharashtra State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday: “Avoid random use of steroids to treat COVID-19 patients.”

Other doctors said that some hospitals appeared unhygienic when putting coronavirus patients on oxygen cylinders, which allowed the black fungus to live.