Fungal spores may help predict COVID-19, influenza activity

News brief

New findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology suggest increased levels of fungal spores in the air are strongly linked to surges in cases of influenza and COVID-19.

The study was based on daily spore samples taken in 2022 and 2024 in San Juan and Caguas, Puerto Rico, where fungal spores and pollen are endemic and present year-round. The data on spores was matched to data on the daily incidence of people diagnosed with COVID-19 and flu.

The researchers found increases in fungal spore counts matched surges in flu and COVID activity. There was no relationship between pollen levels and respiratory illness activity.

The findings from our study suggest that monitoring airborne fungal spore levels could help predict short-term outbreaks (spikes) of flu and COVID-19.

“The findings from our study suggest that monitoring airborne fungal spore levels could help predict short-term outbreaks (spikes) of flu and COVID-19, giving public health systems an early warning signal,” study author Felix Rivera-Mariani, PhD said in a press release from the American Society of Microbiology. “Our findings also highlight the potential role of environmental factors—not just person-to-person spread—in contributing to the incidence of respiratory viral infections. That could open new doors for targeted public health alerts, especially in areas with high outdoor airborne fungi.”

The authors said the findings may help develop environmental risk alerts, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly, or those with asthma.

WHO reports cholera uptick in May

News brief

Chris Dall, MA

Cholera treatment center — *UN Photo/JC McIlwaine/Flickr cc*

The number of cholera cases reported in May rose by more than one-third from the previous month, according to the latest update from the World Health Organization.

In its multi-country outbreak report, the WHO said 52,589 new cholera and acute watery diarrhea cases were reported from 17 countries, territories, and areas across three WHO regions in May, representing a 35% increase in cases from April. More than half of the cases were reported from the Eastern Mediterranean Region (28,228), while the African Region reported 24,104 cases and the South-East Asia Region 257 cases. The period also saw 552 cholera-related deaths.

For the year, a total of 211,678 cholera cases and 2,754 deaths have been reported across the three regions. The highest number of cases (117,346) and deaths (2,447) has been in the African Region. Most of the cases in the region are occurring in Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Angola—four countries that have been beset by ongoing conflicts, population movement, and damaged water and sanitation infrastructure. African leaders recently agreed on a continental approach to managing cholera outbreaks that mirrors the approach used to combat mpox.

The WHO cautioned that the overall cholera picture remains incomplete due to under-reporting and reporting delays caused by interruption of surveillance activities.

Multiyear surge in cholera cases

Cholera cases have been surging globally since 2021, with conflicts, mass displacement, and extreme climate events intensifying outbreaks and severely hampering efforts to contain the highly infectious bacterial disease, which spreads through water and food contaminated with the Vibrio cholerae bacterium. Cholera causes severe diarrhea and dehydration and can be life-threatening if it goes untreated.

The WHO said the average stockpile of oral cholera vaccine was 5.7 million doses in May, marking the sixth consecutive month that the monthly average has been above the emergency stockpile level of 5 million doses. The government of Sudan last week launched a 10-day cholera vaccination program in Khartoum State, one of the hot spots on the country's cholera outbreak.