06/19/2021 18:14
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 06/19/2021 6:20 PM
The Ministry of Health confirmed this Saturday a case of
black fungus
infection
in a woman who had coronavirus and remains hospitalized in Formosa.
In addition, the death of a man due to a possible picture of
mucormycosis
is being investigated
.
Through a statement, the Ministry of Health reported that the first notification was received to the National Health Surveillance System of a case of mucormycosis, known as black fungus infection, associated with a patient from Formosa who had covid-19.
In addition, he indicated that another probable case of mucormycosis, also associated with covid-19, is under investigation in a deceased person who was admitted to a clinic in San Isidro.
As a result of both cases, and within the framework of the alert issued this week by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Argentine health portfolio said that it issued a communication to health teams throughout the country with the aim of "
strengthen capacities to suspect
(black fungus)
disease
"in patients with covid-19, especially those with diabetes mellitus, treated with corticosteroids or other immunosuppressants.
The health recommendation is to make an
early diagnosis, initiate appropriate treatment and report cases
according to current regulations.
According to the statement, the case registered in Formosa is that of a 47-year-old woman, with a
history of hypertension
and type II diabetes mellitus, who began to manifest symptoms of covid-19 on May 11, a disease that transited in a isolation center.
After being discharged for covid-19, the woman
"had a headache and impaired sensorium,
" for which she made medical consultations for an injury to the palate.
After the pertinent examinations, on June 9 she was admitted for a surgical intervention, a sample was taken for microbiological diagnosis in the Mycology laboratory of the Hospital de Alta Complejidad de Formosa and began with a specific antifungal treatment and surgical cleaning of the affected area .
According to the statement, on June 12 the diagnosis of mucormycosis was confirmed.
The woman continues in treatment, with a "reserved prognosis."
The case of Formosa was also confirmed this Saturday by the provincial health authorities.
"Whatever can be done, this fungus also has a
mortality rate of 80%,
" warned Julián Bibolini, member of the Formosa Covid-19 Emergency Comprehensive Care Council, at a press conference in which he gave details of the infected woman.
The doctor explained that the black fungus is "opportunistic" since it takes advantage of the opportunity to develop infection in people with a
weak immune system
, for example, people with oncological pathologies, subjected for a long time to corticosteroid treatments or suffering from uncontrolled diabetes.
He clarified that the fungus "is not related to the coronavirus itself", but pointed out that, since the beginning of the pandemic, the use of corticosteroids has increased worldwide, which has generated a decrease in the defenses in many people that can be taken advantage of by the black fungus.
For its part, the Ministry of Health indicated that mucormycosis is a "severe angioinvasive disease, with rapid progression, which is very rare in the general population", with a mortality rate of between 40% and 80%.
He noted that the coronavirus can present as mild to life-threatening pneumonia, with "opportunistic co-infections" caused by different bacteria and fungi, among which mucormycosis can occur.
With information from EFE
LM
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