The newBlueprint for strengthening responses to fungal diseases and antifungal resistancepublished on Tuesday, presents practical measures to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring.
Fungal diseases affect more than 300 million people each year and are associated with high mortality, long-term illness, and significant losses in health and productivity worldwide.
Growing global threat
They range from common conditions such as ringworm and nail infections to serious invasive diseases that can be fatal. especially for people with compromised immune systems, those receiving intensive care, people living with HIV, transplant recipients and cancer patients.
In the meantime, Antifungal resistance poses a growing threat, driven in part by the widespread use of antifungal drugs and their analogues in human, animal and plant health, as well as in environmental exposure to antifungal chemicals.
Despite this record, WHO said fungal diseases are often missing from national health treatment policies, estimates of the global burden of disease and most strategies on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), universal health coverage and One Health – the UN agency’s initiative for action on human, animal, plant and environmental health.
“A concrete way forward”
The plan comes about a month after WHO’s decision-making body, the World Health Assembly, adopted an updated Global Action Plan on AMR, which occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites evolve and become resistant to drugs designed to kill them, making infections harder to treat.
It remains one of the major global threats to health and development.
“The updated Global Action Plan on AMR, endorsed by the 79th World Health Assembly, recognizes that antifungal resistance is an integral part of the AMR challenge – and the one we can no longer afford to neglect said Dr Jean Pierre Nyemazi, Acting Director of the WHO Department of Antimicrobial Resistance.
He added that the Plan “gives countries a concrete path forward.”
Filling critical gaps
The plan builds on the first WHO projectList of priority fungal pathogenspublished in 2022, which identified 19 fungal pathogens or groups of pathogens requiring urgent public health research, development and action .
It was developed through a multi-step process and consultations with more than 150 experts from across WHO regions, including specialists in clinical mycology, diagnostics, stewardship, surveillance, regulatory policy, public health and patient advocacy.
The aim is to help countries address critical gaps in knowledge, diagnosis, treatment, surveillance, research and workforce capacity, particularly in low-resource settings.
Practical response framework
The WHO plan prioritizes interventions around four interrelated areas, providing a framework for implementation:
Domain 1 focuses on public health and health systems, including strengthening awareness and preparedness, antifungal stewardship programs, staff training, and infection prevention and control.
Domain 2 This is about expanding equitable access to quality-assured antifungal medicines and diagnostics, while supporting research, innovation and the market.
Domain 3 prioritizes strengthening laboratory systems and surveillance to support clinical management, inform public health decision-making, and improve outbreak preparedness
Domain 4addresses social and environmental factors, including agricultural, environmental, and One Health factors that may contribute to fungal disease epidemiology and antifungal resistance.
“Fungal diseases and antifungal resistance remain an under-addressed priority in national health plans, antimicrobial resistance strategies and surveillance systems.
“This plan provides countries with a practical framework to strengthen their responsesaid Hatim Sati, technical lead in WHO’s Department of Antimicrobial Resistance, who led the development of the guidelines.
