When a person undergoes cancer treatment, their immune system is compromised and their body is less able to defend itself against infections. This makes them susceptible to infections that can only be serious in a healthy individual but fatal in immunocompromised individuals. Experts warned that fungal infections should be taken more seriously. More than 150 million cases of serious fungal infections have been identified worldwide. The number of people who lost their lives due to fungal infection has exceeded one and a half million.
CANCER PATIENTS RISK OF DEVELOPING A FUNGUS INFECTION IS VERY HIGH
In 2021, a consortium of 29 countries was formed to combat strains of microbial resistance. Professor Adilia Warris, co-director of the Medical Research Council’s Center for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, told Mirror.co.uk: “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 have a disease on top of another disease. They come as complications. Everyone knows how terrible cancer is, but what people often don’t realize is that cancer patients are at a very high risk of developing fungal infections and are a major factor in most cancer deaths.”
Fungal infections affect those suffering from cancer as well as other conditions such as COVID-19.
A recent study found that about one in six people admitted to intensive care with COVID-19 have invasive fungal infections. However, there are a variety of fungal infections that can find ways to infiltrate even the strongest immune systems.
These fungi can cause conditions like thrush and more serious conditions that affect the heart, brain, blood, and other internal organs. An example of such fungi is Candida.
WHAT IS CANDIDA (FUNGUS)?
Candida is a genus of yeast that can cause fungal disease in humans and animals, the most important species being Candida albicans. It is pronounced as “candida” in Turkish.
Candida is found in certain small amounts as part of the flora in our mouth, ears, skin, genital area, and intestines.