It seems that whenever you pick up a newspaper or open a website these days, there's some sort of bad news. Now, five major US states are warned about a deadly airborne virus that can eat your flesh from the inside out.
If Iran and Israel exchanging missiles as Russia teters on the brink of World War III isn't enough, we've also got worries that AI will wipe us out, and what about harbinger asteroids hurtling toward Earth? It's no surprise the Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, but now, it feels like an episode of The Last of Us has come to life. Naughty Dog's video game and HBO's live-action adaptation follow a ruined Earth in the aftermath of the real-life Cordyceps fungus turning humans into mushroom monsters. Scientists have said we should be safe as Cordyceps hasn't made a proper leap to humans (yet), but instead, we should be looking out for Aspergillus fumigatus. This airborne fungus is almost impossible to avoid, with tiny spores being inhaled without people knowing. There are fears that Aspergillus fumigatus will continue to spread as temperatures rise, and with it potentially leading to a serious lung infection called aspergillosis, hundreds of thousands are at risk. In vulnerable individuals, aspergillosis can lead to organ failure and even death.
Aspergillus fungus produces aflatoxin, which is one of the world's most powerful naturally occurring carcinogens and can cause cancers or disorders of the lung, liver, spleen, stomach, colon, and kidney.
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Five US states have been outlined as being at risk, with residents in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, California, and Georgia warned to brace for Aspergillus fumigatus.
Scientists have found the fungus moving through parts of the USA, with the above states seeing the worst of it due to hot climates and farming activity.
Hub cities like New York, Houston, and Los Angeles have the added risk of densely populated areas and an aging infrastructure.
Because aspergillosis isn't a reportable disease, infections, hospitalizations, and deaths aren't being tracked. This means it's harder to detect. Doctors told people with weakened immune systems, like those suffering from cancer or HIV, to avoid soil, gardening, and environments that are moldy environments. They're also told to wear masks in dusty areas and try to keep clean air in hospitals and homes.
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In response to Aspergillus fumigatus, hospitals have increased their mold inspections and antifungal protocols.
Speaking to the Financial Times, the University of Manchester's Norman van Rhijn said: "We're talking about hundreds of thousands of lives, and continental shifts in species distributions. In 50 years, where things grow and what you get infected by is going to be completely different."
The University of Manchester predicts that if we keep using fossil fuels at current levels, Aspergillus fumigatus could expand by 75% by 2100.
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Around 400,000 cases of aspergillosis develop into a long-term lung infection called chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, and although invasive aspergillosis is less common, it's much deadlier. One study revealed how only 59% of organ transplant patients survived a year after being infected, which dropped to just 25% of stem cell transplant patients. Between 2000 and 2013, hospitalizations for invasive aspergillosis rose 3% annually. By 2014, there were nearly 15,000 recorded hospital stays, coming in at a cost of $1.2 billion. Even more worrying, ICU autopsies rank aspergillosis in the top four infections that are likely to cause death. The World Health Organization has listed Aspergillus fumigatus as a 'critical priority' fungal threat due to rising death rates and resistance to drugs.