ABSTRACT
Purpose: The global outbreak of COVID-19 and its subsequent varied impacts on different economic activities necessitate to examine its disruptions and impacts on livestock sector in India due to its recently surging potential as an unrivaled alternative to boost farmer's income. Design/methodology/approach: The studies for review were identified through search in different databases using relevant keywords. Only full text papers written in English language were reviewed. The review was organized and streamlined using Covidence software. Findings: Analysis of the literature reveals adverse effects of COVID-19 on functioning of input and output stages of livestock supply chains. This has resulted in upstream and downstream economic losses that affect livelihoods of the producers. Research limitations/implications: Scale of unprecedented crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic requires creative policy decisions to make livestock production systems robust, resilient and sustainable. Organized production systems are required to integrate with livestock-tech startups to modernize their supply chains, whereas local supply chains are required to reorient with government's intervention in terms of developing on-farm production and postproduction processing facilities. Originality/value: Although there exist some evidence on COVID-19-related impacts on livestock sector of India, but an integrated review of evidence on COVID-19 related disruptions at all the stages (from input supply to marketing) of livestock supply chains was missing. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
Mucormycosis is a potentially fatal disease caused by a fungus of the order Mucorales, most commonly involving the nasal sinuses, orbits, brain, lungs, and skin. The disease affects mostly immunosuppressed individuals and patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes. The prevalence of mucormycosis is 80 times higher (0.14 per 1000) in India compared to developed countries. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sudden surge in the number of mucormycosis cases, especially on the Indian subcontinent. This can be attributed to what we consider to be the perfect iatrogenic recipe: a combination between the immunosuppression caused by COVID-19, the large prevalence of uncontrolled diabetes and the simultaneous use of corticosteroids. Other factors include the excessive use of antibiotics, antifungal drugs and zinc supplements, invasive ventilation, poor hygiene and sanitization as well as the use of industrial oxygen in hospitals. As a result, an overwhelmingly large number of COVID-19 patients have developed mucormycosis during the pandemic. A review of the literature suggests that all efforts should be made to keep tight control of glycemia in COVID-19 patients along with judicious use of corticosteroids. The treatment of mucormycosis involves a combination of medical and surgical therapy, with the early initiation of antifungal drugs and aggressive surgical debridement of the affected tissues. Copyright © 2022 Mandip Singh Bhatia et al., published by Sciendo.