Black Fungus vs. White Fungus

While the world was sufferings of from the grips of a deadly pandemic, India  group and a new problem while going through its second wave of the COVID-19 virus. Throughout the country, starting from the end of April 2021, cases of black fungus and white fungus, later on, started cropping up in different parts of the country. In most cases, these fungal infections affected patients suffering from the COVID-19 virus or who w the world class company is not a very hap your family and friends and family from the family members of the day I am in thepy Birthday to you on this device in the world and the day of the year of the year ahead and have a call with you andere recently treated from the COVID-19 virus.

The cases of black fungus and white fungus are quite rare to contract; doctors all around the country informed a few reasons for the rise in cases of these fungal infections. People that suffer from diabetes were seen as people with comorbidities and more susceptible to COVID-19. Those people, when affected by COVID-19, took a massive hit in the health of their immune system.

The deteriorating condition of a person’s immune system in combination with the steroids that were used to treat their COVID-19 infection caused them to become highly susceptible to the black and white fungal infections. Now that you know the cause of their uprising, let’s look into the differences, symptoms, treatments, and preventive measures of black and white fungus.

Difference Between Black & White Fungus

Black Fungus	White Fungus
● Description: Black Fungus is called Mucormycosis; it is contracted when a person is exposed to the naturally found mucor mould from an open wound or burn or any other type of skin trauma. The infection is very aggressive and rapidly spreads throughout the patient's body. It usually affects the nose at first, then moves to the eyes and then the brain, causing the patient's death.	● Description: White Fungus is a fungal infection that is caused by the candida group of organisms; it usually causes the formation of a white membrane or white discharge, and the infection resulting in that is called candidiasis. One of the leading causes for this condition is the overuse of steroids which is regularly practised nowadays for the treatment of COVID-19. The other more horrifying reason is the use of unsterile oxygen cylinders, which is also regularly needed for people suffering from COVID-19.
● Symptoms: General symptoms include excessive watering and pain in the eyes, severe headaches, discolouration of the skin and tissues in the nose and cheek region of the face. There are more symptoms such as sudden toothaches, congested nose, blurred vision or loss of vision in extreme cases. Symptoms can also include swelling of the eyes and cheeks with low or high amounts of bleeding from the nose in severe cases.	● Symptoms: This infection affects the patient in their kidneys, mouth, nail, skin, brain, and lungs. In cases where the infection reaches the lungs and the blood and creates a systemic infection, the chances of the patient’s survival become close to none. The general symptoms include symptoms of pneumonia and low oxygen levels, along with lesions on the skin oozing white discharge and whitish patches in the oral cavity.
● Treatment: This is an extremely serious condition that requires surgical removal of all the affected tissues. In many cases, when the infection reaches the eyes of a patient, the doctors have had to remove their eyes in order to save their lives. Patient's also have had to remove their upper jaws to treat themselves from this condition. It is not possible to treat this condition through medicines alone, and in most cases, surgical intervention is required for the treatment.	● Treatment: Treatment of the white fungus infection does not require surgical intervention and can be treated with oral and topical medication. Oral treatment options generally include fluconazole or itraconazole. When the infection reaches the oral cavity or genital regions, topical application of medically prescribed ointments and creams are required.
● Prevention: One of the first and most important preventive measures for the black fungus is to keep your blood sugar levels under control. Other than that, it is also imperative to be under constant medical supervision when you are on steroidal treatment for COVID-19 or other ailments. In some cases, patients also require a four to six-week intravenous antifungal procedure to prevent this condition from affecting them.	● Prevention: This condition is caused by unsterilised medical equipment such as ventilators and oxygen cylinders. It is essential to properly clean and sterilise such equipment before providing it to patients. Patients themselves have little to no say in their contraction of the white fungus infection. So, healthcare providers need to do an adequate job to ensure patients are not suffering from such infections.