If threats of climate change are not taken seriously, HBO’s popular series ‘The Last of Us’ may soon turn into reality, with deadly spread of fungal infection on a historic and unprecedented rise. In the critically acclaimed review of the pilot, a scientist was heard predicting that the world may not end with a viral pandemic, but a fungal one, with climate change causing different kinds of fungi to bring a halt to what we know as civilizations.
For the unversed, the pilot and the respective show is based on the incredibly popular PlayStation video game of the same name. In the show and the videogame, it is hinted that as the world gets warmer, and the average temperature rises, some lethally dangerously fungi could further evolve and make humans their hosts. Recently, real-world research has surfaced which also pictures a grim future, without mentioning a horde of zombies, as seen in the show, of course.
As per the research, Earth’s climate has increased since 1800s at a rate that was never seen in the past 10,000 years. Further, NASA has concluded that even the planet’s surface temperature has risen to about 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius).
Further, deaths due to fungal infections have also been on the rise, with as many as 1.6 million such deaths every year.
The Last of Us Foreshadows a Grim Future
In one of the scenes from the now critically acclaimed pilot of HBO’s The Last of Us, a doctor can be giving a sobering and grim reality check. The character speaks about the world’s end which would not likely be caused due to a viral infection, but due to rapidly increasing fungal infections.
“Billions of puppets with poisoned minds, permanently fixed on one unifying goal: to spread the infection to every last human alive, by any means necessary,” the doctor says, painting a grim foreshadowing in the zombie-apocalypse show.
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The Grim Reality of Fungal Infections
In a concerning new research that has surfaced recently, experts too have painted a similar picture, minus flesh-eating zombies seen in the show of course. As per the data, as many as 7,199 persons in the US died due to fungal infections in 2021 with only 450 such deaths reported back in 1969. Further, data also states that as many as 75,000 persons are rushed to hospital each year due to such infections.
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The Link between Climate Change and Fungal Spread
The well-versed would know that fungi of different kinds only grow and develop when the temperature breaches a certain point. Unfortunately, Earth’s climate has also been warming up since 1800s, to a level that has not been reported in the last 10,000 years. Further the planet’s average surface has also risen by 1 degree Celsius with the year 2020 as the warmest year, as per the official record.
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Potential Impact of Fungal Infections in the Coming Years
As per a study in the GeoHealth journal, climate change can likely cause a wide fungus to spread in north of US, with dry states like Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and North Dakota, likely to witness massive surges in such spreads. The study states that by 2100 the number of affected states in US alone could rise from 12 to 17, and the cases can surge by 50%.
A Daily Mail report quoted Dr Hanan Balkhy, assistant director-general for antimicrobial resistance at WHO shedding more light on the matter. “Emerging from the shadows of the bacterial antimicrobial resistance pandemic, fungal infections are growing, and are ever more resistant to treatments, becoming a public health concern worldwide”, the doctor said.
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