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Detailed explanation-1: -Maharashtra has seen over 1500 cases and 90 fatalities from the disease- all Covid survivors. By Thursday, Haryana had reported 226 cases and Telangana 80. High numbers also came in from Gujarat and MP. With 14 mucormycosis deaths, Haryana’s casualties are second highest in the country after Maharashtra.

Detailed explanation-2: -Cow dung is widely used in India as fuel, for medicines and in rituals. Medical researchers say cow dung is rich in black fungus spores. Spores released through smoke from cow dung fires spread widely. Researchers hypothesise that the black fungus epidemic in India was caused by burning cow dung.

Detailed explanation-3: -It most commonly affects the sinuses or the lungs after inhaling fungal spores from the air. It can also occur on the skin after a cut, burn, or other type of skin injury. Small outbreaks or clusters of mucormycosis can occur in certain groups of people, such as those who have had an organ transplant.

Detailed explanation-4: -Disease burden The incidence rate of mucormycosis globally varies from 0.005 to 1.7 per million population. In India, prevalence of mucormycosis is estimated as 140 per million population, which is about 80 times higher than the prevalence in developed countries.

Detailed explanation-5: -Adding more burden to such a challenging situation, mucormycosis, an invasive fungal infection, has seen a sudden surge in patients with COVID-19. The rhino-orbital-cerebral form is the most common type observed.