Fungi the big killers

Too right fungus is a big killer. Candida albicans has been known about for many years and denied for as long by conventional medicine. According to this article, candida which causes skin and mucous infections and septicaemia, (I would add systemic illness), has a death rate of 30% to 49%.

You can read more reliable information on candida HERE.

This article does not mention that the major cause of candida is modern medicine with its antibiotics , steroids and the like.

As far as fungi in the environment you can add that to list of killers (long with abrupt climate change) which indicate we have reached PEAK FOOD.

Could fungus be the next big killer? Experts warn fungal diseases now cause more deaths than malaria and tuberculosis

• Figures show fungal diseases cause hundreds of thousands of deaths
• Death often follows severe respiratory illness and infections of the blood
• Experts warn fungi kill more people than malaria and tuberculosis globally
• They also destroy a third of all food crops, affecting global economies

Daily Mail,

15 January, 2015

A leading microbiologist has warned of the increasing threat that killer fungi poses to humans and the environment.

New figures show that fungal diseases cause hundreds of thousands of deaths annually, following severe respiratory illness and infections of the blood stream.

And now an expert has warned that fungi kill more people than malaria and tuberculosis worldwide, and destroy a third of all food crops.

Speaking at Cardiff University’s Science in Public Health lecture series, Professor Rosemary Barnes from the School of Medicine’s Institute of Infection and Immunity said: ‘For most people, fungal disease means a bit of athlete’s foot or a manky-looking toe nail.

‘These maybe irritating and unsightly but fungi can do far worse.

‘Fungi kill more people than malaria and tuberculosis worldwide.

'They destroy about a third of all arable food crops.

Scientists have identified more than two million species of fungi, and they are considered to be among the most diverse and adaptable of all living organisms, predating humans by hundreds of millions of years.

Only 600 species are known to cause disease, but 99 per cent of these diseases can be attributed to 30 kinds of fungi.

Most infections are trivial, but serious invasive diseases affect 2.5 million people worldwide.

Invasive fungal disease is very difficult to treat and can be distressing for patients, in some cases causing disfigurement.

Other strains of fungi can decimate crops leading to billions of pounds of food wastage and contribute to global poverty.

According to Professor Barnes, recent flooding across UK and the rest of Europe has exacerbated the situation.

‘Flooding caused by adverse weather conditions has caused a worsening situation of home dampness and indoor mould growth, which are associated with asthma, rhinitis and other respiratory problems.

Scientists from Taiwan spotted a spike in the levels of a range of contaminants in rivers that flowed in Kenting National Park - home to the annual Spring Scream event.

The experts said that not only does this highlight drug abuse at the concert, but that the drugs may also be having an effect on aquatic life in the region.

‘Five and a half million people in the UK alone are living with asthma and half of these cases are down to an allergic reaction to fungi.’

Emerging fungal diseases such as Dutch Elm, ash dieback, sweet chestnut blight and sudden oak death are also a real concern for Britain’s forests, said Professor Barnes.

‘Deforestation from fungal pathogens increases carbon dioxide emissions and contributes to global warming.

‘Other diseases attack insect populations that are crucial for plant pollination.

Professor Barnes said that there needs to be more education around the impact of fungus on health, and the economy.

She suggests improving diagnostic techniques, investing more into research in the area, and performing surveillance studies of the fungi and diseases.