Deadly spores: Why fungi may be our next public health crisis

A recent article by Bloomberg delivers a chilling insight into a world often overlooked in public health discourse: the rise of deadly fungal pathogens. In a time when global health concerns typically revolve around viruses and bacteria, the piece highlights fungi as a quiet but formidable force—one that already kills more people annually than malaria and has the power to reshape both environmental and medical landscapes.

A striking fact: fungi kill approximately six times more people every year than malaria. Yet, their impact remains vastly underreported. Spores from species like Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus are omnipresent in the air we breathe. While most people inhale these without consequence, for individuals with compromised immune systems or pre-existing lung conditions, exposure can be fatal. One severe condition, invasive aspergillosis, affects over 2 million people globally each year and results in around 1.8 million deaths—numbers that rival many infectious diseases.

As global temperatures rise, fungi adapt—and those that survive heat stress are more likely to thrive inside the human body. A vivid example is Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant fungal species that emerged simultaneously on three continents in the early 2010s. Scientists believe global warming may have played a role in its evolution. Today, it spreads rapidly through hospitals, clinging to medical equipment and causing life-threatening infections.

Beyond temperature, environmental changes such as rising sea levels pose additional fungal risks. As saltwater invades inland ecosystems, fungi exposed to these saline conditions may develop resilience that makes them even more capable of surviving inside the human body. Professor Mark Bignell warns that “the tougher fungi get in response to stressors in the environment, the harder it’ll be for us to fend them off.”

Despite the growing threat, fungal pathogens remain underfunded in global health research. Few antifungal drugs exist, and resistance is growing. 

Culturally, fungi have started to enter public consciousness through media like The Last of Us, a show that fictionalises a future shaped by deadly fungal infection. But the real threat is already here—and it’s not science fiction. It’s science-ignored.

By Sabina Mammadli