Apparently A Deadly Fungal Disease Is Spreading… Right On The Heels Of HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us’

Pedro Pascal

I don’t know about you, but I’m about tired of seeing the Center for Disease Control announcing “deadly viruses” one after the other. Isn’t it the CDC’s job to stop that from happening?

It’s as if the fictional “Center for Bad Country Music Control” kept telling us that new Kane Brown songs were dropping. Aren’t you supposed to be on top of that CBCMC?

Instead, the CDC just keeps telling the public “new virus dropping this week” like they are…well, Kane Brown releasing singles I guess.

According to the Wall Street Journal, this new virus is a rare fungal infection that is seemingly drug-resistant and it is causing much concern for those with lowered immune systems. The fungus is a type of yeast (Candida auris) that is feared to be spreading rapidly, and cases have been rising at a high rate since its initial report in the United States.

If you weren’t aware, many of the world’s antibiotics are produced and extracted from various fungi, which makes fungal infections such as this one incredibly difficult to treat.

A fungal infection that is resistant to drugs and has an increasing amount of cases popping up across the country and is causing doctors and scientists to rush in order to find effective treatment…where have I heard of this before?

It sounds eerily familiar…

Oh, that’s right, a fungal disease being highly infectious is the main storyline for HBO’s The Last of Us, which just wrapped up its 9-episode first season a few weeks ago. THAT is where I heard of a drug resistant fungal disease that led to the end of the world.

In the show (and video game it is based on), a fungal disease called Cordyceps sweeps across the world and causes humans to transform into mindless “infected” walking fungi. A mutation of fungus gets into flour products (bread, pasta, cakes, pastries) and causes a planet-wide apocalypse.

The hit HBO show kicked off its season with this clip at the start of Episode 1, which has put me “on alert” when it comes to fungal infections:

Pretty scary stuff, but good thing it is just a TV Show…

The fungal infection the CDC is warning people of is not the same as the show’s apocalyptic disease, but it is still something to be concerned about (especially if you are immunocompromised).

We shouldn’t be seeing our neighbors turning into horrifying monsters, but the headline of “CDC Warns of Fungal Infection” still causes a little bit of anxiety for me. I think the feeling can best be summed up by the Pedro Pascal meme that came out of the hit HBO show:

A beer bottle on a dock

STAY ENTERTAINED

A RIFF ON WHAT COUNTRY IS REALLY ABOUT

A beer bottle on a dock