Cases Of Cytomegalovirus Have Been Discovered in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, And Kolkata
A person can catch CVM infection through contact with an infected person’s saliva, blood, urine, semen, vaginal fluids, or breast milk. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock)
After battling with the second wave and black fungus, another post covid complication, Cytomegalovirus has been diagnosed. Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in Delhi has detected six persons with cytomegalovirus (CMV) virus during a month. This is the latest post-covid problem, which has been detected in Mumbai, Pune, and Kolkata, requiring COVID-free individuals to return to the hospital for treatment. Those with HIV, low CD4 counts, post-transplant patients who suffered from cancer and are on immunosuppressive medications, and others are at risk of contracting the virus.
The patients detected with the infection had severe COVID-induced pneumonia in the previous months and had been given heavy dosages of steroids to treat it. Officials from the hospital said they had tested negative for COVID at the time the CMV illness was discovered.
This virus is found in 80-90 percent of Indians, but due to natural immunity, it never causes any symptoms. High doses of steroids for treatment, on the other hand, result in an immuno-compromised state, providing this virus the opportunity to spread and get severe.
Meanwhile, cytomegalovirus infection is a type of herpes virus that can cause or not cause any kind of symptoms. It's a DNA virus with two strands that stays dormant in the body. All the individuals who have reported this infection had Covid for less than a month. Since patients may not show any signs or symptoms, it might be difficult to diagnose the infection. Serious complications involving the eyes, brain, or other internal organs are possible. This is not a new disease and as mucormycosis is a fungal infection that can strike when blood sugar levels are really high, cytomegalovirus infects when immunity is weakened.
The Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi reported five cases of cytomegalovirus-related rectal hemorrhage in June, out of which, one succumbed to the infection. Rajeev Satav, a Congress leader and member of the Rajya Sabha, succumbed to the same infection in May while recovering from Covid-19. He got pulmonary fibrosis.