WHO Unveils Global Blueprint to Tackle Rising Fungal Diseases

Fungal diseases affect more than 300 million people every year, causing high death rates, long-term illness, and major economic losses through reduced productivity.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new global blueprint to help countries strengthen their response to fungal diseases and the growing problem of antifungal resistance, warning that the issue has remained overlooked despite its serious impact on public health.

Fungal diseases affect more than 300 million people every year, causing high death rates, long-term illness, and major economic losses through reduced productivity. WHO says resistance to antifungal medicines is increasing because of their widespread use in human healthcare, animal health, agriculture, and exposure to antifungal chemicals in the environment. The agency stressed that responsible use of antifungal medicines is essential to preserve their effectiveness while continuing to protect both human and plant health.

Blueprint Offers Practical Guidance for Countries

The new Blueprint for Strengthening Responses to Fungal Disease and Antifungal Resistance builds on WHO's fungal priority pathogens list and its existing work on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), HIV, and neglected tropical diseases. It provides governments with practical guidance for improving prevention, diagnosis, treatment, surveillance, research, and workforce capacity, particularly in low-resource settings. The blueprint was developed through consultations with more than 150 experts from all WHO regions, including specialists in clinical mycology, laboratory diagnostics, public health, antimicrobial stewardship, regulatory policy, and patient advocacy.

Dr. Jean Pierre Nyemazi, Acting Director of WHO's Department of Antimicrobial Resistance, said the updated Global Action Plan on AMR now recognises antifungal resistance as a key part of the broader antimicrobial resistance challenge. He said the blueprint gives countries a clear and practical roadmap for addressing a threat that can no longer be ignored.

Four Priority Areas to Strengthen Global Response

The blueprint outlines four main areas for action. The first focuses on strengthening health systems through greater awareness, antifungal stewardship programmes, workforce training, and stronger infection prevention and control measures. The second encourages wider access to quality-assured antifungal medicines and diagnostic tools while supporting research, innovation, and investment to develop new treatments. The third area promotes stronger laboratory networks, surveillance systems, and outbreak preparedness to improve disease detection and guide public health decisions.

The fourth focuses on addressing the environmental, agricultural, and social factors that contribute to fungal diseases and antifungal resistance through a One Health approach that brings together the human, animal, and environmental health sectors. The blueprint also includes an implementation framework with 12 priority entry points to help countries identify investments and interventions that can deliver measurable improvements.

Hatim Sati, Technical Officer in WHO's Department of Antimicrobial Resistance and lead author of the blueprint, said fungal diseases and antifungal resistance remain underrepresented in national health strategies and surveillance systems. He said the new guidance offers countries a practical framework to strengthen their response and close critical gaps in preparedness.

WHO said the blueprint is intended for policymakers, public health programme managers, researchers, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical developers, donors, and international partners working to strengthen global efforts against fungal diseases and antimicrobial resistance.