[Mountaindewed]

I heard because of climate change a dangerous fungual infection is spreading fast that is going to wipe out most of the world. It is is similar to The Last Of Us.

Is this true?

[lizardlady]

MD, after doing some poking around because I never heard of this I found the fungus does exist and it is spreading. BUT researchers are saying they expect a 50% increase by 2100. I suspect most of us at MSF will be long dead by then.

News outlets love posting stories about things like this because it gets people stirred up.

I believe there is a residual fear in many of us because of Covid. It appeared with no warning and spread like crazy. It left a concern/fear that something similar could happen again.

I have a BA in zoology, which required some courses in microbiology.We could tell who was in the micro classes because they got absolutely paranoid about becoming infected with something. The reality is that we are surrounded and covered with microorganisms. We can't let a fear of infection rule our lives or we turn into Howard Hughes. The lesson we all learned back in my student days was to take reasonable precautions and get on with life.

[lauport]

There is growing research on how climate change is impacting the spread of certain fungi, including ones that can infect humans. One example is Candida auris, which has become more common in recent years. But the idea of a sudden apocalypse, like in The Last of Us, is more science fiction than reality at this point.

Fungal infections can be serious, especially for people with weakened immune systems, but the kind of rapid, global, civilization-ending spread portrayed in the game isn’t something researchers are predicting. It’s always good to stay informed, but also helpful to keep things in perspective. The media sometimes amplifies these stories because they grab attention.

[Mountaindewed]

There were those 2 people who were just caught trying to bring in a deadly fungus

So its not totally impossible

[SquarePegGuy]

Originally Posted by lizardlady

-snip-
I have a BA in zoology, which required some courses in microbiology.We could tell who was in the micro classes because they got absolutely paranoid about becoming infected with something. The reality is that we are surrounded and covered with microorganisms. We can't let a fear of infection rule our lives or we turn into Howard Hughes. The lesson we all learned back in my student days was to take reasonable precautions and get on with life.

When my cousin was in nursing school, she'd freak out any time her mother would scrape or cut mold off some food and eat the rest.

I've become extremely unfastidious after COVID. But then I got a serious lower intestinal "bug," which I guess was from listeria or e coli. I'm still very casual about eating expired foods and eggs-over-easy, but I tend to be more careful to avoid hand-to-mouth behaviors while out in public. And I also wash produce thoroughly.

[SquarePegGuy]

I was going to list all the things that could destroy us before a fungus would. But I then I realized it wouldn't be as funny as I think it is, and it would only upset you folks.

So, don't worry, be happy!