By : Satyaki Paul
Aetiology: The White Fungus is caused due to fungi mould present in the environment. The disease is not contagious, but an individual might become vulnerable due to infection, as because these moulds are contagious. After inhaling these moulds these funguses spread to various parts of our body such as nails, skins, stomach, kidney, brain, private parts, etc. and thereby causing numerous complications in the body.In similar vein, Yellow Fungus (Mucor Septic) primarily develops dueto the presence of moulds in 30 to 40% humid environment. It may be present with unnecessary fatigue, rashes, burning sensation on skin etc. It may not start from the lungs but it invades internal organs of the body and affects the entire functioning.
Individuals at risk: These two kinds of fungus are potentiallycauseddue to: Prolonged use of steroid, Dirty environment, Diabetes and Persisting Co-morbidities. These can be diagnosed through CT-Scan or X-ray among immunocompromised patients.
Symptoms: The symptoms of White fungus are: Chest pain, Low oxygen levels, White patches in the oral cavity, White discharge, and Skin lesion. The symptoms of Yellow fungus are: Weight loss, reduced appetite, Pus leakage, Sunken eyes, Organ failure, Slow healing of wounds and Necrosis (cells dying early).
Prevention: Both of these diseases can be tacked through measures such as: Avoiding extra moisture/humidity in the isolation wards of COVID19 patients; The area where they are recuperating should be de-cluttered from unnecessary things; Proper hygiene should be maintained by the patient with ample use of sanitizer; Clean water should be only used; And, further the Co-morbidities should be timely kept in check.
Treatment:For Black fungus Amphotericin-B and Posaconazole are used, while anti-fungal drugs such as fluconazole and itraconazole are used for Candidiasis. As per some reports, caspofungin or micafungin are used to treat critically ill patients. The author works as a Ph.D. Research Scholar at the Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta, and the co-author of the book Anthropology For All (2021).