“The Last of Us” Fungus Is Real - Should You Be Concerned?

Before the Covid pandemic, the CDC had field offices located in countries around the world to quickly identify novel pathogens that might evolve. There were something like 40 CDC field offices that were welcomed by host countries to serve as a global watchdog; They provided an early warning so a potentially emergent pandemic could be contained before it could spread.

This was an effort of past Presidents to protect American interests here and around the world. George Bush greatly expanded the safeguards due to the African Ebola outbreak. Obama continued the efforts by including a pandemic response team as part of his National Security team and developing pandemic response handbooks.

This National Security team was charged with knowing what governmental levers needed to be pulled, what agencies needed to have expedited authorities, to anticipate potential issues that could occur and find means to address them, assure that the National stockpile would be adequate, and to conduct pandemic ‘wargame’ exercises - all to  assure that the US could successfully respond to a pandemic. Obama developed a detailed handbook for dealing with a pandemic as well as a short form ‘Handbook for dummies’ to highlight the most urgent tasks that the government needed to address for a potentially emergent pandemic.

The transition team attempted to brief the trump on our country’s pandemic response plan - he reportedly was disinterested and made a point of throwing the briefing materials and handbooks into the trash. Later, he disbanded the National Security pandemic response team, closed almost all of the CDC field offices and even refused to extend funding several ongoing efforts to study pandemic response. Further, he refused to pay for maintenance of the National Stockpile, leaving outdated and useless PPE (protective clothing and masks for medical professionals) as well as a stockpile of ventilators  rendered useless due to canceled required maintenance. These acts left our country woefully unprepared and unable to properly respond when the Covid pandemic emerged - and left out country with one of the highest per capita Covid death rates of any peer industrialized democracies (currently 1.15 Million American Covid deaths).

There are additional actions taken by the trump that have dismantled our country’s ability to successfully contend with whatever the ‘next’ pandemic may bring - and it is not a question of ‘if’ another pandemic will come, it is questions about ‘when’ the next pandemic will come and ‘what’ it will bring.

I hope that our country can restore at least some of the pandemic preparedness that we once had, and that the MAGA-morons infecting our National legislature do not try to yet again, politicize efforts designed to protect even them. 

I am much less concerned about the diseases that we already know of, including the fungus identified in the question posed. I am much more concerned about the pathogens that we don’t know about and our country’s ability to successfully rebuild the systems we had previously in place adequately to deal with them. 

I have to wonder how Tucker Carlson is going to spin this one.

No.  There are many more likely zoonoses to be concerned about.  Not to mention diseases those that already infect humans that could become resistant to the treatment we currently have available.  And then there is worsening antibiotic resistance for common bacterial diseases.

Fungus among us is an ongoing problem, just like viruses. Things people need to understand that both have good and bad. The most misunderstood are undiagnosed problem is the effect of both. Both are some form parasites, which are also misunder diagnosed. These all attack may your health, immune system which to many doctors poop who, but the exposure is higher than people are aware of. 

Cats for a example just on parasites toxoplasma gondi,  toxocara and ancylostoma.

Black fungus (mucormycoete) or fungi (aspergillosis) is very where.

To make food last longer on the shelf, corporation add anti fungal to food, which can add to allergies?

Alternative health care providers are more aware and aggressive to treat and diagnose the problem.

A lot of neurological problems are caused by fungus and viral infections, causing autoimmune problems, but here are also toxins that effect the autoimmune system.

What you don't know can hurt you, until it's too late.

My biggest concern is whether public health has sufficient funding to monitor this, there is research underway for treatments as none currently exist, and we have public health measures to control it because like COVID it effects the vulnerable especially those with compromised immune systems and we did a poor job of controlling COVID with 1M+ dead in the US (7M globally).

The WHO priority list categorizes 19 of the most common fungal pathogens into 3 priority groups, the most dangerous is the "critical group," that contains 4 fungal pathogens: Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans and Candida auris. Like the Bacterial Pathogens list it is used to prioritize resources for surveillance & research.

Of the 4 fungi, only 2, Cryptococcus and Aspergillus are dangerous as they can infect the lungs, causing pneumonia-like symptoms that can progress into more severe sickness. 

Candida auris is an emerging fungal threat because it’s multidrug resistant and spreads in healthcare facilities but little else is known about it.  It thrives on cold hard surfaces, survived cleaning chemicals so hospitals with outbreaks had to remove equipment and walls to defeat it, and can kill 2/3rds who contract it especially if their immune system is already compromised by COVID, Flu or RSV also attacking the lungs.

Those most at risk have weakened immune systems like the very young, very old or pre-existing conditions. Fungal infections are responsible for 1.5M deaths/year globally similar to malaria.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/deadly-fungi-are-the-newest-emerging-microbe-threat-all-over-the-world/

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/10/26/1131602076/who-releases-list-of-threatening-fungi-the-most-dangerous-might-surprise-you

Climate change has consequences, and the adjustments of various organisms to make them more thratening to other species is only one of those.  We are now seeing thousands, perhaps millions, of changes anye ONE of shich could mark the end of the human race.  We needed to take action starting in 1912.  We figured that out (again) in 1974.  We really only started, very slowely, in 2012 a full century after the nature of the problem became clear.  The question now is if we can make changes fast enough to survive, and how weill we deal with those who would rather NOT make changes even if it kills all of us?

I am not concerned about this fungus; however, I am very concerned with the fungus that is members of congress sporting pins resembling assault weapons. Our rights to arms is not in danger, but Americans are in danger from assault weapons. Please tell these members of congress that we taxpayers see them promoting weapons that should be restricted to the military. We see them serving the NRA's blood money instead of our citizens, & we want it to stop. Protect us from Trump ever returning to office; he should be in prison for insurrection. Protect us from extremists like Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Green, & Andrew Clyde. Our capitol is not a clubhouse for extremists!

Be Afraid of the Fungus of Fascism. Be very afraid.

Continue to research to be prepared.

Just more fear mongering....

Fungus? It can be a real pain to deal with! 

Be careful; there are fraudulent services purporting to find dangerous fungi in your home and then charge a fortune to clean it.

Anyway... 

I wasted an hour today.

I read that Woodward was so annoyed with being sued by Trump that he revived a rumor:  "a post published via Woodward’s official Twitter account (@realBobWoodward) that reads: “Since Donald Trump is suing me I will reveal something I’ve never revealed before about a public figure. The scent-barrier on his Depends(tm) is completely insufficent."

I learned that there are a lot of pictures that lend credence to the assertion that Trump wears adult diapers. This explains the origin of "Diaper Don." I thought it was about his acting like a baby.  

Reuters claims that Woodward's statement was faked but was silent about the stinky diapers.

You probably know about the Darwin Award, but did you know there is a Herman Cain Award?

The Herman Cain Award is an ironic award given to people who made public statements of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and hesitancy, and who have later died from COVID-19 or COVID-19 complications. The award is named after American businessman and political figure Herman Cain, a Republican politician who died of COVID-19 complications after attending a 2020 Trump Tulsa rally in support of then-President Donald Trump without wearing a face mask. A text label which says "Awarded" is emblazoned on the conversation thread containing evidence and community discussions of a third party's anti-COVID mitigation positions and their subsequent death.

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Cain_Award

Think that this could be the root of the problem with the Republican party! Perhaps it's spread throughout Congress and the Senate causing Republican officeholders to soo ok read outlandish lies and fairytales. It also may explain why they have become lackadaisical and lethargic when it comes to getting anything done for the American people.

All I hear is yap yap yap, balloon yap yap yap, Biden yup yup yup, bitch bitch bitch, yup yup yup… And nothing gets done by them. What really needs to happen is the zombies need to be removed from office because they're all a bunch of lazy liars!

It seems unlikely that thee transfer could be made.

CAUSES TELLSE ME, THEN ASKS: " In the hit HBO series, “The Last of Us,” people are turned into zombies by an infectious fungus that exists naturally in our world. The fungus currently only infects insects, such as ants and spiders, but does perform a form of “mind control” on its hosts. Are you concerned about the fungus spreading to humans?"  ME: Not particularly, but, then so little is known about transmissions within the natural world. So far it looks like it's confined to the insect world, but, then, I never thought I'd see a flesh-eating bacteria, either. 

Only worried if drug companies, Fauci, or the Government, in general, are involved.

The thoughts and behaviors of most of humankind at this juncture in time appears to demonstrate the fungus has already crossed over.

At this point in time, I'm more worried about WW3 happening than becoming a zombie.

It is all in a person's "mind-set".  I am celibrating 8 years "cancer free" (knock on wood) and 8 years of being cigarette free.  I have made it this far into the COVID BS without getting infected and have never had a flu shot or the one for COVID.  Hell, I don't even get a pneumonia shot.  I have a strong aveersion to needles.  Besides, I'm a "hippie throwback"----"God made grass, man made booze.  Who do you trust?"  Shows like this one, are a larger danger to the weak minded individual who has a lack of proper education and will believe what ever is told to them which what the fascist members of government want so they can control all of us and bleed us dry.  Where there is a will, there is a way.  We all need to remember this.  Blessings to all.  Even the idiots in Congress.

No, not concerned as the SCIENCE says humans shouldn't be.  Bet the "MAGATS" are terrifed though. lol

Some form has already invaded the brains of republicans and an extreme version of dumbkopf followers

Here is proof

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/02/06/jordan-klepper-inside-trump-campaign-event-sot-contd-acostanr-vpx.cnn

Because this particular fungus is not transmittable to humans