N.M. Mujeeb Rahman

The incidence of black fungus, the fatal opportunistic infection, underscores the need for significant public health investment in disease control and puts India’s national health security challenges on high alert. Black fungus, or mucormycosis, is an opportunistic infection in COVID-19 patients. It is caused by a fungus that is omnipresent in our environment and affects only when a person’s immunity is sufficiently compromised.

India’s efforts at vaccines since ancient times have served as the foundation for its modern vaccination strategies and as a framework of global vaccination concepts. The public health sensitisation achieved by COVID-19 can help galvanise a broader understanding of vaccination. Medical science in ancient India and China were relatively developed and highly organised.

BOTH COVID-19 and lockdowns are equally depressing. Hope is unique to humans and it is infinite. Tired of lockdowns, hotspots of infection and reports of escalating cases worldwide, the world is eagerly awaiting either of the two magic bullets needed to get past the COVID-19 pandemic: herd immunity or vaccines. Are we there yet? The answer is a resounding “No”. Diseases such as measles and chickenpox, once common among children, are now rare even in the least developed countries.