As a developing country, Pakistan reports a high burden of fungal diseases, of which cutaneous mucormycosis remains a prominent infection, presenting as a highly invasive disease with significant mortality. Apart from a high population of at-risk individuals, multiple factors have precipitated an increment in mucormycosis cases in the country following the COVID-19 pandemic. These include increased use of corticosteroids, immunosuppression following the viral infection, prolonged stays in the intensive care unit and sub-optimal laboratory testing available in the country. This article aims to assess the potential implications of a mucormycosis epidemic on a healthcare system already strained under the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides subsequent recommendations to weather the dual challenge of two deadly pathogens.
Keywords: COVID-19; Pakistan; cutaneous mucormycosis; public health.
© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.