[ti:India Battles Deadly Fungus as Virus Deaths Pass 300,000] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:01.76]Doctors in India are fighting a fungus that is infecting COVID-19 patients [00:09.08]and those who have recovered from the new coronavirus. [00:14.36]The dangerous infection, called mucormycosis, is rare. [00:18.96]But doctors say its sudden increase [00:22.68]could make India's fight against COVID-19 even more difficult. [00:29.76]India has reported almost 27 million cases of the coronavirus [00:35.52]since the pandemic began. [00:38.40]Almost half of that number has been recorded in the past two months. [00:44.48]The Health Ministry on Monday reported 4,454 new deaths in the last 24 hours. [00:54.60]That brings India's total to over 303,720. [01:01.60]India also reported 240,842 new infections Monday. [01:09.32]India's vaccination drive has also slowed recently. [01:14.80]Many states say they do not have enough vaccines. [01:19.80]India is the world's largest vaccine-producing country. [01:24.40]But it has fully vaccinated just 3.8 percent of its almost 1.4 billion people. [01:33.88]Experts say new infections in India may finally be slowing. [01:39.92]But there are some early signs that mucormycosis, [01:43.80]also known as "black fungus," is becoming a serious concern. [01:49.96]Mucormycosis is caused by exposure to the mucor mold, [01:54.56]which is found in soil, air and even in the nose of humans. [02:00.96]It spreads through the lungs and damages the face. [02:04.56]Sometimes, doctors have to remove an eye [02:07.16]to prevent the infection from reaching the brain. [02:10.92]On Saturday, federal minister Sadananda Gowda [02:15.04]said nearly 9,000 cases had been reported in India. [02:20.68]The quick rise has led to a shortage of Amphotericin B, [02:25.64]the drug used to treat the condition. [02:29.40]Local media have said more than 250 have died from infections. [02:36.04]Mucormycosis infections can cause death at a high rate. [02:41.44]The fungus was present in India before the pandemic. [02:46.44]It is not contagious, but the high number of cases in the last month [02:51.32]has surprised and worried doctors. [02:55.84]Ambrish Mithal is a doctor with Max Healthcare, [02:59.52]a private group of hospitals in India. [03:03.64]"It is a new challenge and things are looking bleak," he said. [03:08.40]Mithal said black fungus often infects patients [03:12.64]with weakened defense against infection [03:15.56]and existing health conditions, especially diabetes. [03:21.04]High and unnecessary usage of steroid drugs can also lead to infection. [03:28.00]"Earlier I used to come across just a few cases every year [03:32.16]but the current infection rate is frightening," Mithal said. [03:37.56]India's large cities have seen signs of improvement in recent days. [03:43.32]But the virus has hit the country's rural areas [03:46.60]where most Indians live and where health care is limited. [03:52.08]Now heath experts are worried that common medications, [03:55.84]including steroids, are increasing the infection rate of mucormycosis. [04:02.52]SK Pandey is a medical officer at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh state. [04:10.08]He said inexperienced doctors were giving steroids [04:14.68]to patients in rural areas without considering all the possibilities. [04:20.68]"This has led to increase in black fungus cases in smaller cities [04:25.60]where the patient has not even been hospitalized," he said. [04:30.28]India's Health Ministry on Thursday asked states [04:34.48]to follow the spread of the condition and declared it an epidemic. [04:40.04]All medical centers must report the cases to a federal network. [04:45.56]Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday [04:48.44]called the disease a "new challenge." [04:52.00]I'm Jill Robbins. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM