POST-COVID, SURGE IN DEADLY INFECTIONS

Long-lasting immunological damage, leaving people susceptible to pathogens apart from vector-borne diseases

- VISMAY BASU @ New Delhi

INDIA is contending with a disquieting resurgence of communicable diseases in the aftermath of Covid-19.

Globally, the pandemic officially claimed 7,010,681 lives, though excess mortality estimates suggest that nearly 15-18 million perished in 2020-21. Beyond the immediate fatalities, SARS-CoV-2 inflicted long-lasting immunological damage, leaving populations susceptible to a cascade of lethal infections and opportunistic pathogens.

Mucormycosis, the infamous black fungus, struck first in 2021-22, infecting 40,824 individuals and claiming 3,229 lives in India by June 2021, according to the National Centre for Disease Control. Its early manifestations-facial swelling, nasal congestion, and black oral lesions often belied the rapidity of its cerebral invasion, which precipitated vision loss, debilitating headaches, seizures, and acute neurological confusion, frequently culminating in death.