Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Deadly Fungus Fever...!

Since I have to take Mom back to the doctor today, I figured a health story would be just the ticket. I never heard of this illness before, and I'm almost sorry that I found this story over on Listverse.

Deadly

If you’ve read any news about bees, frogs, or bats dying off suddenly, much of that was caused by fungus. “Fungi kill more people than malaria and tuberculosis worldwide,” explained Professor Rosemary Barnes of Cardiff University in a January 2015 press release. “They destroy about a third of all arable food crops.

”In fact, fungus is the biggest killer in the world, and we’re not talking about someone accidentally eating a poisonous mushroom. The scariest thing about fungus is that you can breathe in a deadly spore and never know it. For example, Coccidioidomycosis (aka “valley fever”) is a fungal disease that lives in the soil of the American Southwest. If you breathe it in, you may develop a fever or nothing may happen at all. It can also turn into a flesh-eating infection that gnaws away at your lungs, your joints, or the protective membranes of your brain and spinal cord.

If you’re out enjoying a hike, you could inadvertently contract a disease that will be with you for the rest of your life. Similar to valley fever, the Pacific Northwest has Cryptococcus gattii. There are no preventive measures. There is no vaccine, either. Even masks don’t work because the spores are too small. But the good news is that fungal infections are not contagious. The bad news is that they’re spreading.

I know, I know...you really didn't need to read this article this morning. Just thought you all needed something else to help you sleep better at night, ya know? Heck, it's no wonder some folks go nuts thinking about all the weird ways that Nature is fighting back. Almost makes a good story line for a horror movie, right?

Coffee out on the patio this morning.

9 comments:

deb harvey said...

gosh.
read about some disease that had started spreading north in shower water where the water is misty and you can breathe it in. was said to affect mostly blonde women who shower more than once per day.
haven't heard any more about it since the first news about 14 yrs ago.
was in southeast usa.
there is always something out to get you.

Chickenmom said...


'Hope your Mom get a good doctor's report today!
Scary about all that fungus in the air - wonder what else is out there to get us!

linda m said...

Hope to hear that your Mom got a good report from the doctor. Thanks for the story about fungi. One more thing for me to worry about. hehe Cold and rainy here today - at least all the snow we had has melted.

Hermit's Baby Sis said...

Bubba - let me know what the doc says. Hope you and I are right about our assumptions ...
I love and appreciate you. unlike some old fungus!
Big hugs ~

JO said...

My dad had valley fever I never saw anything make someone so sick and I thoght we would lose him. He was also being treated for flue which allowed this grow and he spent weeks in the hospital.

Hope Mom gets a good report. Jim did you change your e-mail?

HermitJim said...

Hey Deborah...
It's enough to make you paranoid, right?
Thanks for stopping by today!


Hey Linda...
I think that most of this stuff is coming from the southwest, so you guys up north may be OK. Then again...who knows?
Thanks for coming over today!


Hey Sis...
I'll be sure and let you know. Kinda hope she goes back in for treatment, ya know?
Thanks for the visit today!


Hey Jo...
That's what I heard about this stuff, that it can really make you sick. I had no idea that so many died from fungus every year!
Thanks, sweetie, for dropping by today!

Dizzy-Dick said...

We had our RV parked in a spot at Galveston Island State Park, and the guy parked beside us was taken away in an ambulance. We went to the hospital to visit him and he told us he had come from the southwest part of the country and that must have been where he picked up Valley Fever. I am not sure what happened to him, since we had to leave for home a few days later.

Anonymous said...

So far we've had very few of these nasty fu´nguses upe here in the north but the warmer climate helps them to spread to us as well. I guess I shouldn't cxomplain about our cold winters after all :-)

Have a great day and I hope Your mom is well!

Christer.

HermitJim said...

Hey Dizzy...
Like the article said...maybe it is spreading and being helped to do so by us carrying it on our travels. Who knows?
Thanks, buddy, for coming by today!


Hey Christer...
I'm happy you don't have many of these at your place. We will try and not spread them in your direction, OK?
Thanks for the visit today!