Notes from the Field: Mucormycosis Cases During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Honduras, May-September 2021

• Published in: MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report 2021-12, Vol.70 (50), p.1747-1749
• Main Authors: Mejía-Santos, Homer, Montoya, Sandra, Chacón-Fuentes, Rafael, Zielinski-Gutierrez, Emily, Lopez, Beatriz, Ning, Mariangeli F, Farach, Nasim, García-Coto, Fany, Rodríguez-Araujo, David S, Rosales-Pavón, Karla, Urbina, Gustavo, Rivera, Ana Carolina, Peña, Rodolfo, Tovar, Amy, Paz, Mitzi Castro, Lopez, Roque, Pardo-Cruz, Fabian, Mendez, Carol, Flores, Angel, Varela, Mirna, Chiller, Tom, Jackson, Brendan R, Jordan, Alexander, Lyman, Meghan, Toda, Mitsuru, Caceres, Diego H, Gold, Jeremy A W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Disease; Epidemiology; Female; Health care facilities; Health services; Histopathology; Honduras - epidemiology; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Humans; Male; Medical laboratories; Microbiology; Microscopy; Middle Aged; miRNA; Mucormycosis; Mucormycosis - epidemiology; Mycology; Notes from the Field; Pandemics; Patients; Prevention; Public health; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Steroid hormones; Steroids; Vaccination
• ISSN: 0149-2195; 1545-861X
• DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7050a2

[...]because mucormycosis reporting is not required in Honduras, it is difficult to determine whether the cases described in this report represent an increase over the country’s baseline mucormycosis incidence, which is unknown. Prevention of COVID-19 through vaccination, maintenance of glycemic control in patients with diabetes, and judicious use of steroids†††,§§§ for COVID-19 treatment might help decrease the risk for mucormycosis associated with COVID-19 (2). Because of these reported cases, SHH and partners are conducting clinician outreach and education to improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mucormycosis. Lancet Infect Dis 2019;19:e405–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(19)30312-3 PMID:31699664 Homer Mejía-Santos1,*; Sandra Montoya2,*; Rafael Chacón-Fuentes3; Emily Zielinski-Gutierrez3; Beatriz Lopez3; Mariangeli F. Ning3; Nasim Farach3; Fany García-Coto4; David S. Rodríguez-Araujo4; Karla Rosales-Pavón1; Gustavo Urbina1; Ana Carolina Rivera1; Rodolfo Peña5; Amy Tovar5; Mitzi Castro Paz6; Roque Lopez6; Fabian Pardo-Cruz7; Carol Mendez7; Angel Flores7; Mirna Varela7; Tom Chiller8; Brendan R. Jackson8; Alexander Jordan8; Meghan Lyman8; Mitsuru Toda8; Diego H. Caceres8,9,†; Jeremy A. W. Gold8,† 1Health Surveillance Unit, Secretary of Health of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras; 2Department of Mycology, Hospital Escuela, Tegucigalpa, Honduras; 3Central America Regional Office, CDC; 4Council of Ministers of Health of Central America and the Dominican Republic, Tegucigalpa, Honduras; 5Honduras Country Office, Pan American Health Organization, Tegucigalpa, Honduras; 6National Public Health Laboratory, Secretary of Health of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras; 7Honduras Field Epidemiology Training Program, Tegucigalpa, Honduras; 8Mycotic Diseases Branch, CDC; 9Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Center and Center of Expertise in Mycology Radboudumc/Canisius Wilhelmina Ziekenhuis, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.