NEW DELHI: India has been battling with surging cases of Black Fungus along with the COVID-19 pandemic for over a month now. As mucormycosis and news of its emergence spreads, myths continue to float in large numbers on social media platforms across the nation about the disease and it causes.
CLAIM:
A message on social media platforms claims that domestic black fungus can be caused by onions. It asks people to be wary of black layer or spots on the outer layer of onion for it is fungus. The message even claimed that the black film or layer on the rubber inside the refrigerator is the cause of black fungus.
The message furthered that both these types of fungus are the major reason behind the increasing of number of cases of mucormycosis in India
REALITY:
Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS Delhi, cleared the air on this claim and said that mucormycosis is not literally a black fungus. It is a misomer, which decreases blood supply and therefore it results in some discoloration of skin. He said that the claim in the message is utterly false.
He noted that people on steroids for a long time or those who have have conditions like diabetes, are predisposed to many fungal infections, one of them being mucormycosis. This disease predominantly infects the sinuses, the eye, and at times it can affect the brain. Dr Guleria added that people at high risk need to be careful about sugar control and use of steroids.