Worldwide fungal deaths twice as high as previously thought, research shows

A new study suggests that fungal infections now account for around six per cent of all global deaths

Around four million people are dying every year from fungal infections, new research indicates – nearly double the previous global estimate.

The study, published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, says that more than 6.55 million people annually are affected by invasive fungal infections. These lead to more than 3.75 million deaths, of which 2.55 million are directly attributable to fungal disease.

According to the estimate, this means fungal infections account for around six per cent of all global deaths, killing six times more people than malaria, and almost three times as many as tuberculosis.