Fungal Infections, the New Global Threat

 

“What we see happening is the silent global threat of fungal infections; the weaker the person’s immune system, the greater the vulnerability to infection.”

 

The global threat of fungal infections is escalating and, according to podiatrists, nail fungus affects almost 70% of the population in their lifetime and ringworm 25% of the global population. The situation worsened because of the prolonged therapeutic and prophylactic use of antifungal drugs, leading to the emergence of drug-resistant fungi, particularly the highly virulent Candida auris strain. Serious antimicrobial-resistant occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spreading. Superficial fungal infections have been detected in the United States and Canada; this is why evaluating topical antifungal use is an initial step in developing strategies to prevent the global emergence and spread of these infections.

According to CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from January 2024, “[a] total of 6.5 million topical antifungal prescriptions, costing $231 million, were filled for Medicare Part D beneficiaries in 2021, approximately one prescription for every eight beneficiaries. Most prescriptions were written by primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants.”[1] Since 2021 the situation has not got better, on the contrary; the massive prescribing of topical steroid antifungal medication is not working, it is actually accelerating the antifungal resistance.

The very prevalent antibiotic usage is also causing fungal infections because it can lead to weakened autoimmunity. “Antibiotic usage decreases bacteria and thereby favors fungal populations over bacterial populations. This leads to an explanatory hypothesis for the pathogenesis of severe autoimmune diseases by major fungal infections. The increase in fungal populations in individuals susceptible to major fungal infections can also explain the higher incidence of autoimmune diseases.”[2] The medical system is creating the perfect storm: the massive abuse of antibiotics is causing antibiotic resistance and putting the population at risk of fungal infections, many which are becoming deadly.

What we see happening is the silent global threat of fungal infections; the weaker the person’s immune system, the greater the vulnerability to infection. Since the treatments cause fungal resistance, this deadly infection just continues to grow and there is no treatment. We have found that lung infections are also increasing and fungal contaminants can become airborne—it is happening in hotter climates and it becomes deadly. I see fungal infections as being the next Black Death; it is alarming on a global scale and yet most countries do not seem to acknowledge the threat.

According to a study, fungal diseases cause over 1.5 million deaths and affect more than a billion people worldwide. Despite this, they remain a neglected issue by public health authorities, even though many deaths from fungal diseases are preventable. Serious fungal infections often arise from other health problems such as asthma, AIDS, cancer, organ transplantation, and corticosteroid therapies. Early and accurate diagnosis is crucial for prompt antifungal treatment; however, delays or lack of access to diagnosis can lead to death, severe chronic illness, or blindness. Recent global estimates indicate the following annual cases:

  • 3,000,000 of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis,
  • approximately 223,100 of cryptococcal meningitis in HIV/AIDS patients,
  • around 700,000 of invasive candidiasis,
  • 500,000 of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia,
  • 250,000 of invasive aspergillosis,
  • 100,000 of disseminated histoplasmosis,
  • over 10,000,000 of fungal asthma, and
  • 1,000,000 of fungal keratitis.

Since 2013, the Leading International Fungal Education (LIFE) portal has been estimating the burden of serious fungal infections for over 5.7 billion people, covering more than 80% of the world’s population.[3]

Ringworms

Tinea or dermatophytosis—ringworm—is a common skin infection caused by fungi, not actual worms. It is characterized by roundish, flat patches with a raised, scaly border, and the name likely derives from the ring-shaped pattern often seen in the rash. While the rash can appear on various body parts, including the feet, hands, groin, and nails, it lacks the ring-shaped pattern on certain areas. Treatment is crucial to prevent the rash from spreading and causing more significant discomfort, as ringworm is contagious. The risk of getting ringworm is higher in individuals living in tropical areas, experiencing hot and humid weather, sweating heavily, participating in contact sports, living in close quarters, sharing personal items without proper hygiene, being obese, having diabetes, and wearing clothing that chafes the skin.

Ringworm can be contracted through skin-to-skin contact, contact with infected animals, touching contaminated soil, or using infected objects like combs or towels. Athletes are particularly prone to ringworm due to their sweaty bodies and close physical contact. The infection can manifest differently based on the body part affected, such as athlete’s foot on the feet, jock itch in the groin area, or scalp ringworm, which is more common in children. While having HIV does not increase the risk of getting ringworm, individuals with weakened immune systems may experience more severe and challenging-to-treat cases. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to alleviate symptoms, prevent spreading, and avoid complications associated with untreated ringworm infections.

“Experts state that about 20%-25% of the population will experience a ringworm infection at any given time”[4] but there are more alarming statistics than that. “Antimicrobial resistance, including antifungal resistance, is an ongoing global emergency. Experts estimate that drug-resistant infections caused roughly 1.3 million deaths around the world in 2019. By 2050 that figure could rise to 10 million deaths each year.”[5]

In the last decade, South Asia has witnessed an epidemic of antifungal-resistant ringworm, attributed to the proliferation of the novel fungus Trichophyton indotineae, causing skin disease in both humans and animals, with experts implicating the likely role of inappropriate use of topical antifungal and corticosteroid medications in its spread. The infection is not limited to South Asia. In 2023 two cases of highly contagious, drug-resistant ringworm infections have been detected in New York City — the first such cases reported in the U.S. by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.[6]

This is what happens when drugs like corticosteroids are over prescribed for most ills and pains, from arthritis, colitis, bronchitis, asthma, skin rashes, allergies, lupus, psoriasis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, leukemia, lymphomas, and injected for pain control throughout the body. In addition corticosteroids are used to suppress the immune system for organ transplants to prevent rejection. When we understand corticosteroids lower the immune system it becomes a major cause for concern since they are used so abundant. They also lead to an increase rate of infections and reduce the effectiveness of vaccines and antibiotics. There needs to be an oral corticosteroid (OCS) stewardship program put in place since prescribing is out of control.

In addition, antibiotics are prescribed without limitations for most things that ail, according to the FDA, more than 24.6 million pounds of medically important antibiotic drugs were sold for use on livestock farms, about 66 percent of all antibiotics sold. According to The National Library of Medicine, up to 50% of antibiotics are inappropriately prescribed for humans, the majority of which are for acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) for which they are ineffective. Antibiotic use in agriculture isn’t just limited to livestock. In 2016, the EPA approved the use of two medically important antibiotics — streptomycin and oxytetracycline — for use on citrus trees infected with Citrus Greening Disease, the EPA approved spraying more than 650,000 pounds of the drugs on orchards in Florida, California and Texas, yet the sprays aren’t slowing the disease. A more successful strategy, injecting antibiotics into the tree trunks, does slow infection, but it also leaves three times more antibiotic residue in the fruit than spraying does.

My God, what have we created in manipulating nature the way we do? For one we do not have the character to handle this responsibility, our eyes are blinded by greed, power and control.

We have seen this perfect storm building for decades, our best line of defence is prevention, remaining healthy with a strong immune system. Lifestyle changes are necessary, food eaten without genetic manipulation, clean water, antibiotics only when needed and taken with  Laktokhan probiotic complex to protect your intestinal flora. Thymus gland is your best choice in maintaining your T-cell count yet it is virtually unknown. Immunity 4 in 1 combines Vitamins C and D with quercetin and citrus bioflavonoids. It is important, especially for women prone to urinary tract infections and using antibiotics for treatment to use preventive means, UTI Health taken twice per week for maintenance and two twice per day for treatment is very effective. Candida auris is a globally emerging pathogen that has been identified in urinary tract infections (UTIs) worldwide.

We are blessed to be able to share our licensed Antifungal Medication Cream this amazing formulation is effective and without side effects. Licensed for topical applications, used in herbal medicine to help relieve all fungal infections such as ringworm. When they say there is no treatment, they mean there are no prescription drugs that currently work within the bedding ground they have created.

References:

 

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2024.

[2] Roe, Kevin. 2021.

[3] Bongomin, Felix et al. 2017.

[4] Rohde, Rodney E. 2023.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2023.