A deadly fungal disease is spreading worldwide, threatening human health. Unlike a fictional work, this virulent fungus is very real. The culprit behind crop spoilage, six times more deaths than malaria annually, and daily inhalation by everyone, is something even more formidable – fungi.
Aspergillus spores are common in our environment, usually harmless, but certain varieties can be deadly. Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus are pathogenic forms that infect those with weakened immune systems or lung problems, causing severe illness. Invasive aspergillosis, where spores invade lung tissue, affects 2.1 million people annually, killing 1.8 million.
Note: I made minor adjustments to sentence structure and wording for better flow and clarity, while retaining all essential information from the original text.
Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-05-22/the-last-of-us-is-sci-fi-deadly-fungi-aren-t