Posts By: Graham Atherton

International HIV experts on fungal meningitis in AIDS report finding nearly 250,000 cases annually, 73% in sub-Saharan Africa. Fungal meningitis due to the Cryptococcus fungus typically affects those in the prime of life, 35 years old, and affects the tissues covering the brain and spinal cord. Of those affected an estimated 181,000 people die, despite… Read more »

For the fourth year running, multiple country burdens of fungal diseases have been presented at ECCMID; 4 countries covering a population of 351 million people. The remarkable findings were: The annual incidence of candidaemia in Italy is 24/100,000 and was estimated at 5/100,000 for Belarus, Cameroon and Indonesia, in the absence of data. Cryptococcal meningitis… Read more »

Itraconazole, voriconazole and natamycin 5% ophthalmic preparation ruled as ‘essential antifungals’  GAFFI (Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections) says today’s announcement that three drugs capable of reducing deaths in hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have been given essential medicines status is a Red Letter Day in the fight to reduce blindness and save lives…. Read more »

GAFFI ANNUAL REPORT ON FUNGAL DISEASES: HIGHLIGHTS PROGRESS BUT SCALE OF GLOBAL WORK STILL TO BE DONE  GAFFI (Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections) has published its third annual report demonstrating progress made in its mission to reduce illness and death associated with fungal disease worldwide. A new model for reducing illness and death from… Read more »

Estimates never before attempted show the number of people affected by serious fungal diseases in 14 of the worst affected countries across the globe have just been published *. Experts believe they give a stark reminder of the huge disconnect between the lack of fungal public health programs worldwide and the wealth of scientific research… Read more »

At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, a high level course on fungal diseases started today. With over 17 million Nigerians affected by serious fungal infections, and tens of thousands of deaths, better diagnostics are the cornerstone of improved care. The course focuses on modern diagnostics that need to be incorporated into routine care in Nigeria…. Read more »

The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has been refunded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – $279 over 10 years. The IHME has been assessing the country, regional and global burden of multiple diseases, its impact on health status, mortality and indirectly on economies with years of life lost,… Read more »

Ignorance of fungal disease and lack of diagnostics across the world is causing doctors to unknowingly overprescribe antibiotics a new report warns. Experts from GAFFI (the Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections) caution that we will lose the battle against antibiotic resistance unless doctors better understand how to suspect fungal disease and have proper access… Read more »

For operational and fund raising reasons, GAFFI has set up a sister foundation in the form of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation – GAFFI UK. Sharing identical objectives and the same website, GAFFI UK will enable GAFFI to begin to implement its programs more easily and at less cost, and become tax-efficient for UK tax payers…. Read more »

GAFFI has applied for itraconazole (capsules and oral suspension), voriconazole (capsules and intravenous solution) and natamycin 5% ophthalmic solution to be placed on the World Health Organization (WHO) Essential Medicine List (EML), in collaboration with colleagues from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, International Foundation for Dermatology, London School of Hygiene of Tropical Medicine and… Read more »