Fungal infections are an increasing global health threat, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations—including patients with cancer, HIV, organ transplants, or those in intensive care. Mortality rates remain unacceptably high, yet diagnostic tools are often unavailable, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and treatment options remain limited. Alarmingly, only three antifungal drugs are currently in late-stage clinical trials, and diagnostic capacity falls far short of what is needed for timely and appropriate care.
Despite steady increases in recent years, antifungal resistance still receives limited attention within the broader antimicrobial resistance (AMR) agenda. This gap may have significant consequences in terms of morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay, healthcare costs, and adverse outcomes.
To address this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has just published its first-ever reports on antifungal diagnostics and therapeutics—a landmark step that highlights both the urgency of the threat and the historical neglect of fungal pathogens. The WHO calls for enhanced global surveillance, greater investment in research, and stronger cross-sector coordination—including in agriculture, where fungicide use may drive resistance to clinical antifungals.
For ESCMID members, these reports represent a clear call to action: we must push for fungal infections to be fully integrated into AMR strategies, support innovation, and promote collaboration among clinicians, microbiologists, and policymakers.
Let’s ensure fungal infections are no longer the “neglected dimension” of AMR.
Written by: Antonio Vena (EFISG Educational Officer), Jon Salmanton-García (EFISG Chair), Valentijn Schweitzer (ESCMID AMR Action Communications Officer), Holger Rohde (ESCMID AMR Action Director)