New Delhi: Fungal infections kill more people than malaria and breast cancer globally and are a threat to human health, according to experts.
Scientists have warned of the increasing threat that killer fungal infections poses to humans and the environment.
According to Prof Neil Gow of the University of Aberdeen, more than one million people die from fungal infections around the world each year, but, there are no vaccines yet, adding that there's a 'pressing need' for new treatments, the BBC reported.
The warning comes in wake of doctors in England reporting about a new strain of fungi causing outbreaks in hospitals.
As per reports, the infection was first detected in 2009 in Japan, but has since been discovered across Asia and parts of south America.
This yeast is very dangerous and can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, causing serious invasive infections in some patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Also to note, this yeast don't give any response to often to commonly used antifungal drugs, making infections difficult to treat.
There are more than five million types of fungi, but only three major groups cause the majority of deaths in people:
Aspergillus - which affects the lungs.
Cryptococcus - which mainly attacks the brain.
Candida - which infects mucosal membranes including in the mouth and genitals.
Fungal infections are more deadly in people with weakened immune systems - such as patients with HIV.
Every year more than a million people dying from fungal infections, and yet to deal with this life-threatening fungal infections is not considered a priority. Experts have warned about the need to understand these different types of infection and how to deal with them.
