Fungal infections: The ignored threat requiring a global response

Among the four groups of organisms causing human infectious diseases, certain pathogens rightfully command our attention.Bacteria and viruses tend to receive much attention and priority in the public health discourse, in the differential diagnoses considered by clinicians and also in the medical curricula at all the levels.Important reasons for this include their ability to cause debility & death, pandemic potential, their ubiquitous presence, wider availability and ease of diagnosis, and practicality of control through vaccines.Amidst all this, fungal diseases are ignored as they are relatively silent and insidious threat.From superficial infections that mainly cause discomfort or cosmetic issues to life-threatening invasive mycoses, fungi represent a significant and growing global health burden.Even today, the diagnosis of fungal diseases is often by exclusion.The treatment of mycoses is expensive and often unsuccessful.Now, it is the right time that we recognize that awareness of fungal diseases among the medical community, policy makers, and the general public is no longer a matter of academic interest but a critical public health necessity.