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Published on: May 22, 2021
3 minute read
By: Dr Rajan Choudhary

COVID Associated Black Fungus: Succumbing To Black Fungus !

COVID associated Black Fungus: What you need to know

As COVID spreads across India, there has been an increase in reports of associated infection with a black fungus occurring in some patients. It affects the nose, mouth, eyes, and lungs, and can be fatal. This is an infection we need to be educated on, and early recognition of it can be life-saving. Today we will talk about Mucormycosis, the black fungus responsible for these infections, and what you should do to prevent or recognize an infection.

If you want to learn how to recognize the infection, go down to the INFECTION section of the article.

FUNGUS

When our body gets infected by a bacteria or virus, the signs and symptoms are often recognized early because bacteria and viruses are aggressive, with toxins and mechanisms designed to cause harm to our body and cause easily recognizable symptoms. Fungi on the other hand are slow-growing, and usually, our bodies can fight usually fight these infections before they become a problem. We breathe in fungal spores all the time, especially when outside, in the garden, or in fields, and they cause no harm.

Mucormycosis, the responsible fungus, is found in soil, and decaying fruits and vegetables. It can enter our body by inhalation, by eating foods infected with it, or by direct contact with an open wound, thereby entering our blood. It can be found inside the nose of healthy people, causing no problems or disease. Before the COVID pandemic, infection by mucormycosis was up to 80 times more prevalent in India than in other developed countries, though still rare.

IMMUNOSUPPRESSION

Looking at case reports of patients infected with mucormycosis shows a common theme. Immunocompromised patients are at much higher risk of infection by the fungus and are more likely to have severe disease. This includes patients with diabetes, poorly controlled diabetes, patients taking steroids, organ transplant patients (who are usually on immunosuppressive medications to prevent rejection), those with blood cancer (leukemia/lymphoma, reducing your blood immunity).

Diabetes (especially poorly controlled diabetes) is a major problem in these cases, as diabetes is fairly common in India, can lay unrecognized, and if not controlled or treated appropriately the rising blood sugar levels can damage your arteries, nerves, and significantly lower your immunity. Any infection in diabetic patients can be more difficult to treat and spread more quickly, and this is made worse by COVID-19.

COVID causes widespread inflammation throughout the body, especially the lungs, and the resulting damage causes difficulty breathing and death by respiratory failure. Steroids are currently our best way to treat COVID, by suppressing the body’s immune system and preventing lung damage. Unfortunately, this also allows mucormycosis spores inhaled by COVID patients to infect the now vulnerable, damaged airway, lungs, and sinuses, and start spreading. The body’s response to the infection is dampened by the steroids, and in those with diabetes, it is hindered further.

INFECTION

The black fungus usually spreads in the nose and sinuses of the skull, as it prefers a warm, humid environment. From here it can spread into the eyes and in rare cases the brain.

Recognize the symptoms of the fungus, and be very suspicious in patients with diabetes or those who have had high doses of steroids.

- Facial swelling on one side

- Nose or sinus congestion

- Pain in the sinuses, around the nose, and eyes

- Black mold growing around the nose or mouth

- Fever, headache

When it infects the lungs it can cause symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain. Unfortunately, this can be difficult to separate from symptoms of COVID infection.

If you suspect you or someone you know has these symptoms, and they have the risk factors of immunosuppression or diabetes, you should visit a doctor early. Mucormycosis has a high mortality rate, and a delay in diagnosis by even a week can double it. Your doctor will take swab samples from your nose and look for signs of the fungus under a microscope. Blood tests and scans are also helpful in identifying the fungal infection.

TREATMENT AND PREVENTION

Treatment of mucormycosis requires IV antifungals such as Amphotericin B and may involve surgery to remove the infected areas and prevent further spread. This can include surgery in and around the nose, sinuses, and in rare cases even the eyes. This all depends on the extent of the fungal infection.

Prevention is key in these cases. Simple measures such as wearing a mask to reduce inhalation of spores can minimize infection, especially in the vulnerable, though it may not prevent it if they already had spores present in their nose and sinuses. Glucose tests to look for diabetes, and strict control of diabetes will improve your chances significantly. Keeping your blood sugar levels within the normal range is very important, so if you are diabetic now is the time to stick to your diabetic diet and medications.

Finally, we need to be careful when using immunosuppressive medications to treat COVID, and determining which patients should receive steroids (dexamethasone, prednisolone) and other drugs such as tocilizumab. If you are young and healthy, or you have a milder infection of COVID-19, it may be better for you to not take steroids early. Those with more serious COVID-19 infections may need steroids to survive, and in these cases frequent checks for mucormycosis infection is advisable.

The rise in this rare fungal disease in patients with COVID-19 presents a problem, as we do not have much literature to base our recommendations on, the disease is slow-growing and can be difficult to treat. But as always, understanding the disease process for black fungus and knowing its symptoms is important, as is informing your family and friends about this disease.

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Wearable Health Monitoring India Market: Tracking Wellness & Chronic Care | SecondMedic

In India, wearable health monitoring is no longer a nice-to-have accessory - it’s becoming central to how people manage wellness, chronic conditions and preventive care. With the rise of lifestyle diseases, increasing smartphone penetration and growing consumer health awareness, the wearable health monitoring market is gaining serious momentum.

Market Size & Growth Outlook

According to a detailed study, the Indian wearable medical devices market generated approximately USD 2,344.5 million (USD 2.34 billion) in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 5,670.6 million by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 16?tween 2025 and 2030. Grand View Research
Another research source puts the medical wearables market in India at USD 1.04 billion in 2024, forecast to reach USD 4.20 billion by 2033 at ~15.5?GR. IMARC Group

These figures underscore a major shift: wearables are becoming an integral part of India’s health-tech ecosystem - not just fitness gadgets, but devices capable of monitoring heart-rate, sleep, activity, arrhythmia, vitals, and enabling remote patient monitoring.

Why This Growth Is Happening

Chronic disease burden: With rising incidences of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and obesity, there’s a greater demand for continuous monitoring and early alerts.
Digital health push: Government programmes like the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) and greater smartphone/internet penetration support connected health solutions.
Consumer awareness & wellness culture: More Indians are adopting health-tech and wearables as part of lifestyle, not just for tracking steps but for meaningful health insights.
Home-based care & remote monitoring: The pandemic accelerated acceptance of home-based diagnostics and monitoring - making wearables more relevant for remote care models.
Device innovation & cost reduction: Improved sensors, cheaper manufacturing and localised device assembly are easing access and lowering barriers for adoption.

Segmentation & Key Areas of Impact

Product type: Smartwatches, fitness bands, smart rings, medical-grade monitors for vitals, remote patient monitoring sensors. For instance, the broader smart wearable market in India shows health & fitness tracking made up ~54.35% of the market in 2024. Mordor Intelligence+1
Application: Chronic disease monitoring, preventive wellness, senior care, remote patient monitoring. The largest revenue segment in 2024 is chronic disease management. Grand View Research
Geography & access: Urban metros lead adoption today but Tier-2/3 towns and rural areas represent the next frontier, especially when paired with telehealth and wearable-data integration.

How SecondMedic Fits In

At SecondMedic, we believe monitoring is as important as diagnostics - and wearables are key to that vision. Our platform integrates wearable-generated data into our digital health ecosystem so we can provide:

Continuous monitoring for individuals managing chronic conditions - enabling earlier interventions when trends suggest risk.
Preventive insights for health-conscious users - wearable data feeds into our dashboards to flag deviations and prompt doctor consults.
Remote care models for seniors or mobility-limited users - wearable alerts tie into tele-consultation and remote monitoring workflows.
Data-driven coaching - using wearable metrics (sleep, activity, heart-rate variability) to personalise lifestyle recommendations and follow-up plans.

By combining wearable health monitoring with virtual consultations, diagnostics and preventive screening, SecondMedic offers a holistic digital health solution - not just episodic care but continuous well-being.

Challenges Ahead

Despite strong growth, wearable health monitoring in India faces some headwinds:

Affordability & accessibility: While top-tier wearables are affordable for many urban users, the device cost and ecosystem (apps, data, follow-ups) can be a barrier for rural and lower-income groups.
Device accuracy & clinical validation: Consumer-grade wearables may lack medical-grade accuracy. For serious clinical usage, device certification and integration with health records are required.
Data integration & usability: Wearable data alone isn’t enough - it needs to be integrated into clinical workflows, trusted by doctors and actionable.
Digital literacy & internet/connectivity: Rural areas and older populations may face challenges using wearables effectively or syncing data.
Regulatory and privacy issues: With health data being sensitive, wearables must ensure strong data security, interoperability and comply with frameworks like NDHM.

Real-World Calculation & Uptake Example

If the market grows from USD 2.34 billion in 2024 to USD 5.67 billion by 2030, that’s roughly a 2.4× increase in six years.
At 16?GR, wearable adoption is expected to double approximately every 4.5 years.
If chronic disease monitoring is the largest segment today, then targeting those affected by diabetes/hypertension (over ~100 million Indians) gives enormous addressable potential for wearable monitoring + telehealth.
For SecondMedic platform users: even if 1% of chronic-disease patients adopt wearables and remote monitoring via our service, that could represent hundreds of thousands of people nationwide - driving meaningful growth in preventive care utilisation.

Looking Ahead

As sensors get cheaper, wearables become more accurate and integrated with digital health platforms, we expect:

Wearables prescribed by doctors as part of home-care plans for chronic patients.
Insurance-linked models where usage of wearables triggers incentives or premium discounts.
Data ecosystems where wearable telemetry flows into platforms like SecondMedic, enabling predictive analytics, alerts and personalised care.
Greater rural uptake with low-cost devices, smartphone penetration and telehealth coupling.

Conclusion

The wearable health monitoring market in India is at an inflection point - moving from fitness gadgets to serious health-tech tools.
For health platforms like SecondMedic, this is a major opportunity: wearable data becomes another input in delivering continuous, personalised, preventive and remote care.

Because health isn’t just about testing now - it’s about monitoring, tracking, and intervening early.

Discover how SecondMedic integrates wearable health monitoring into your care journey at www.secondmedic.com

References

Grand View Research: India wearable medical devices market USD 2,344.5 million in 2024, projected USD 5,670.6 million by 2030. Grand View Research
IMARC Group: India medical wearables market USD 1.04 billion in 2024; projected USD 4.20 billion by 2033. IMARC Group
Mordor Intelligence: India smart wearable market – 54.35% of revenue from health & fitness in 2024; chronic-disease monitoring CAGR ~24.7%. Mordor Intelligence

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