Killer fungus could soon ravage Europe infecting millions as world at tipping point

Climate change is creating ideal conditions for a killer fungus to quickly spread across Europe, with millions of people potentially at risk of .

Scientists say Aspergillosis, a condition that can affect , causing breathing difficulties which can spread anywhere in the body, could infect several countries this year. Rising temperatures worldwide thanks to climate change mean northern countries in Europe are potentially at risk as it quickly spreads.

Although the condition can normally be treated with medication, for those with a pre-existing health condition such as asthma or cystic fibrosis it can potentially be life-threatening.

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Norman van Rhijn, the Wellcome Trust research fellow at University who co-authored a study into the fungus, told the : “We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of lives, and continental shifts in species distributions.

“In 50 years, where things grow and what you get infected by is going to be completely different.

“We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of lives, and continental shifts in species distributions. In 50 years, where things grow and what you get infected by is going to be completely different.”

Symptoms of aspergillosis include shortness of breath, a cough which may cough up blood or lumps of mucus, wheezing, a high temperature, losing weight without trying and feeling tired. For those who already have a lung condition, your symptoms may get worse. It could be time to see your GP if this is the case.

Globally, there are more than 150 million severe cases of fungal infections and 1.7 million deaths annually, and those numbers are rising steadily because infections caused by yeasts and moulds are becoming more difficult to treat.

Professor Adilia Warris, an international authority on fungal infections and co-director of the Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at Exeter University, says: “Fungal infections are very serious, but I think one of the reasons they are not at the forefront of people’s minds is that they often come as a complication on top of another disease.

“Everyone knows how horrible cancer is, but what people often don’t realise is that cancer patients are also at very high risk of developing fungal infections and they are a significant factor in many cancer deaths.

“It releases tiny spores into the air, which we breathe in. If the lung is already damaged, someone is already ill, or the immune system is too weak, these spores can grow out in a kind of filament. This can cause an infection with inflammation and you get really bad pneumonia.”