Immune System Weakened by COVID-19... '50% Mortality Rate' Black Fungus Infection Rapidly Spreading in India

In India, where COVID-19 has spread extensively, the situation is worsening as 'black fungus disease (mucormycosis)', with a fatality rate reaching 50%, is rapidly spreading.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] In India, where COVID-19 has spread widely, the situation is worsening as 'Black Fungus (Mucormycosis)', which has a fatality rate of up to 50%, is rapidly spreading.

According to local media on the 12th (local time), the number of black fungus infections in India increased by 150% over the past three weeks, reaching a cumulative total of 31,216 cases, with the death toll reaching 2,109.

In particular, Maharashtra state in western India has the highest number of black fungus infections at 7,507 cases, followed by Gujarat state with 5,418 cases. These regions have recently experienced a significant surge in COVID-19 cases.

Black fungus, which was occasionally found mainly in diabetic patients with weakened immune systems, has spread intensively after India experienced a surge in COVID-19 patients, during the period when the immunity of infected or recovered individuals declined.

In India, where COVID-19 has spread extensively, the situation is worsening as 'black fungus disease (mucormycosis)', with a fatality rate reaching 50%, is rapidly spreading.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

India's COVID-19 spread peaked at 410,000 new daily cases in early last month, and although lockdown measures have recently slowed the spread, the number of new daily cases remains between 80,000 and 90,000, still the highest in the world.

Amid this COVID-19 situation in India, it has been identified that more than 1,700 children have become orphans after losing their parents.

According to a report by The Guardian on the 11th (local time), citing the Indian National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, 1,742 children have lost both parents to COVID-19, and 7,464 have lost one parent. However, considering that the official death statistics are lower than the actual numbers, the real number of children who lost parents is expected to be much higher.

A 14-year-old boy living in a village in Bihar state, eastern India, had to bury his mother’s body in the backyard of their home on the 7th of last month after she died from COVID-19. With no relatives or neighbors to help with funeral costs, he, along with his 16-year-old sister and 12-year-old younger sister, dug the grave. His father had died from COVID-19 before his mother.

There is great concern that these children face not only immediate threats to their livelihood but also risks of human trafficking. A child protection official said, "In a pandemic situation, orphaned children become the most vulnerable prey targeted by human trafficking organizations," adding, "Especially those from low-income families are more likely to fall into these traps." Accordingly, Indian authorities have taken steps to bring these children to government-run shelters while monitoring for human trafficking and illegal adoptions.