People have been concerned about immunity since the coronavirus pandemic began in March of last year.
People have been trying everything they can to boost their immune system, from home remedies to supplements. However, there has been a surge in interest in cow dung and urine as a ‘cure’ for coronavirus, despite the lack of scientific evidence to back up the claim.
Experts are raising concerns about the risk of a fungal infection known as Mucormycosis, or black fungus, as a result of the use of cow dung. Every day, 10 to 12 new cases of black fungus are reported in Ahmedabad, prompting the administration to establish a separate facility to treat these patients. People with diabetes, according to doctors, are at a higher risk of contracting this infection.
Black fungus has been reported in several states recently, including Maharashtra, Odisha, Delhi, Gujarat, and others, and has been seen in people who have recently recovered from coronavirus. The weakened immunity caused by the use of steroids during the Covid-19 infection is one cause of this infection.
The black fungus, according to experts, is already present in the air and on land, and infects people who have weakened immune systems. One cause of this infection has been linked to the use of steroids to strengthen lung function during coronavirus infection. “The fungus enters the body through the nose, then travels through the bloodstream to the brain via the lungs. Dr. Suryakant, head of the respiratory department at King George Medical University in Lucknow, explains that the higher the infection, the more severe the symptoms.
While the only scientific treatments for coronavirus are social isolation, hand hygiene, and vaccination, people have been spreading the idea of using cow dung and urine as a cure, an experiment that could have serious consequences.
Dr. Vasant Patel, an eminent doctor and member of the Ahmedabad Medical Association, believes that videos circulating on social media showing people bathing in cow dung and urine to boost their immune systems are misleading. It is a common misconception that cow dung and urine can aid in the cure of coronavirus. People, on the other hand, are inviting an infectious disease known as Mucormycosis, according to Patel. “Using face masks, hand sanitisers and maintaining social distancing is the only way to prevent Covid-19,” he says, appealing people not fall for such dangerous quacks.
Here are some of the most common black fungus symptoms:
- Reddening of eyes like conjunctivitis.
- Nose blocking and frequent running nose.
- watery eyes.
- unbearable headache and red eyes.
- swelling of one side of the face.
- persistent pain in jaws and teeth.
- blood in vomiting.
The government has issued an evidence-based recommendation for disease screening, diagnosis, and management. Mucormycosis is a fungal infection that primarily affects people who are taking medication that reduces their ability to fight environmental pathogens, according to the government, and it can be fatal if not treated. After inhaling fungal spores from the air, these people’s sinuses and lungs become infected. The Union Health Ministry and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which have been at the forefront of the government’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic, drafted the guideline.
