The infection, technically called mucormycosis, appears to be mostly affecting diabetics who have recovered from COVID-19.
Mucormycosis is a rare but serious fungal infection in the sinuses and lungs. It can lead to black patches on the nose, blurred or double vision, and one-sided facial swelling, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It s acquired through contact with fungal spores found in soil, plants, and manure.
Endocrinologists told Insider that, while black fungus is not new, the pandemic appears to have created the perfect storm.
People with diabetes have slightly dampened immune systems, meaning they already have an elevated risk of contracting black fungus. COVID-19, which worse-affects people with diabetes, increases that risk even more. And then there are steroids, a medicine sometimes used to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients, that can dampen the immune system.
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