The WHO has released a blueprint to "help countries respond to the growing threat of fungal infections and antifungal resistance." CIDRAP has the news.

The document "provides a framework to strengthen national and regional responses to fungal diseases, which affect more than 300 million people each year yet remain widely under-recognized, underdiagnosed, and poorly managed." It represents the latest in an ongoing effort by the WHO to "address a threat that the international health organization believes is expanding because of climate change, increased global travel, and widespread use of antifungal pesticides in agriculture."

The WHO specifically calls on countries to focus on four domains to reduce preventable deaths from fungal infections and mitigate antifungal resistance: "strengthening awareness, preparedness, and response; expanding equitable access to antifungal medications and diagnostics while also boosting research into new treatments and tests; building lab networks and surveillance systems to track and detect fungal infections; and addressing social, agricultural, and environmental determinants of fungal disease and antifungal resistance."

The CDC specifically cites the number of C. auris cases reaching 13,507 from 2022-2024. There are other fungi of concern globally that cause severe infections, and even when they are not fatal, the WHO warns they can cause "chronic, debilitating illness and lasting social and economic consequences."