Its use was isolated in the first wave, with only a few doctors and citizens using it. Methylene blue (MB) acquired rapid popularity in the second wave of COvid-19 and is reported to be effective in averting one of the most dreaded post-Covid diseases, mucormycosis (MM) or the black fungus. The usage of MB in the state was restricted to a few rare occurrences abroad, with veteran pulmonologist Dr. Deepak Golwalkar employing it to treat his patients in Bhavnagar.
This quickly changed following the disastrous second wave, when many people began to advocate for the cheap drug as well. Its popularity has grown as a result of reports of its success in avoiding the Black Fungus.
The antifungal activity of MB, according to Golwalkar, is very strong and has been recognized for over a century. “Those who had MB treatment did not get the fungus at all,” he stated. Golwalkar said that he has used MB to treat over 7000 patients so far, none of whom had Mucormycosis.
MB can be administered orally, via nebulizer, or intravenously, according to Golwalkar. Even patients on oxygen who were receiving his medication did not get the fungal infection, according to him. Aside from mucormycosis, none of the patients had post-covid fibrosis in the lungs. MB’s mass appeal stemmed from Surat, where a campaign was launched to guarantee that it reached every household.
The project was founded by activist Ashwin Sankdasariya and a group of like-minded persons. The organization believes that MB is a cost-efficient and effective weapon against Covid and, more recently, mucormycosis.
“The infection can be caused by a variety of factors, including the use of industrial oxygen, the use of tapped water in oxygen humidifiers, comorbidities, and others. We ran six Covid isolation centers centered on methylene blue to treat patients there. Mucormycosis was not a problem for any of the patients we treated “Sankdasariya asserted.
He also mentioned that many doctors were utilizing MB but were hesitant to share their findings. Some doctors also employ MB in their oxygen humidifiers. Sankdasariya said that the group in Surat itself has distributed over four lakh liters of MB.
