Covid-19 And Face Masks: Does The Fungal Trio Change Everything?
Preventing the spread of COVID-19 has been that holy grail that every nation of the world has been chasing for quite a few months since the end of 2019. Even now, India along with the rest of the world is trying its best to flatten the curve. This time it’s a second wave, with mutated strains, that brings with it new symptoms and changes how it spreads through the populace. To avoid infection many people have even taken the extra steps of ordering a 3 ply mask online so as to maintain social distancing from marketplaces. Sometimes people would wonder if wearing a mask is even necessary, but now one can see people wearing two masks as well.
Times have definitely changed, and so has the perspective for most people. There was a time when COVID-19 was nestled comfortably between being called a hoax and dismissed to be nothing but a harmless variant of the common cold by many people. The recent news however brings more to the table than the threat of a third wave of coronavirus.
If you see this 3 symptoms in 5 days, then you need a coronavirus detection
What made the news recently is the black fungus and how it spreads and affects those with reduced immunity. Even after recovery from a pandemic-level disease has not earned these people relief with the Black Fungus about. The medical fraternity has been making headways into what causes it to spread. It has been found out recently that black fungus could potentially spread from wearing masks for a continuous period of time. The threat comes from not washing a face mask that’s been worn for around 2 to 3 weeks continuously. Many people find this arrangement acceptable.
Symptoms Of The Fungal Trio
White fungus symptoms are quite similar to COVID symptoms. The lungs can be involved and may lead to chest pain, cough and breathlessness. It can also cause headaches, pains, infections or even cause swelling.
Even though all of these fungi seem to affect those with lowered immunity after COVID-19 recovery, all of them come with their own symptoms. All of these symptoms are also equally dangerous in their own ways. Here are a few of those symptoms people should keep an eye out for:
Black Fungus – discolouration of nose and tongue, breathing problems, chest pain, coughing with blood, redness in the eye, blurry vision, fever, headache, vomiting and black lesions in the mouth.
White Fungus – chest pain, breathlessness, cough, headaches, pain, infections and swelling.
Yellow Fungus – lethargy, poor appetite, weight loss.
All of the fungus infections above are treatable if checked up on time. However, the better idea is to make sure to maintain proper hygiene for both the persons involved and the masks.
How To Stop The Spread?
Even though neither the black fungus nor the new white fungus has proven to spread on touch, the yellow fungus still has a potential of doing just that. With symptoms that could end lives, people must exercise caution, and urgency as well. In order to ensure protection from touch, people should get disposable cotton hand gloves online so as to halt the spread of the fungus from any surfaces. Other suggestions include washing face masks. Even though this was already a suggestion from months prior, it should be strictly followed by everyone. Everyone should wash their masks daily after use. This will prevent any grounds for black fungus and all to grow or spread.
Wearing double masks is a part of the new normal in staying secure from COVID-19. This is why it is ever more essential to maintain mask hygiene. Cloth masks can be washed repeatedly until the fabric is no longer useful after which they should be changed. However, masks like N95 have limitations to how many times anyone can wash them. This is because washing can destroy both the filter and the nose clip which secures the masks on the face. Fortunately, anyone can order N95 masks online from any N95 mask company available on portals like Flipkart and Amazon.
The usual behaviours necessary to stay protected from COVID-19 haven’t changed. What has changed is how strictly people follow it to stay safe. Without proper care shown towards masks, the chance of contracting the disease increases. As everyone needs to wear a mask, even those who have recovered from the coronavirus, it is of utmost necessity to stay cautious on face mask usage.
Conclusion
No one knows how long the COVID-19 threat will last. There might also be more such fungal infections that show up as threats. To ensure the best protection, people themselves must make sure to take care of themselves. If it wasn’t followed before as strictly, it is even more essential to do so now.