One of the world's largest producers and suppliers of bananas, Colombia, declared a state of emergency after a fungus that destroys bananas was found in the country for the first time. They initially quarantined the bananas that were suspected to be infected but they just reported finding that the fungus escaped the quarantine, Nature Journal reported.

This same fungus, which destroys banana plants and is highly contagious to others, has attacked bananas in Asia, Australia, and Africa, but this time it could be game over for one of our favorite fruits. That's because it's now attacking the last enclave and where most bananas come from: the Americas.

The problem is that nearly all the yellow bananas that are produced on farms today are from one breed, Cavendish, which is almost genetically identical and thus susceptible to infection by this fungus in the same way, the National Geographic reported. There is no treatment or cure for this fungus. The only thing that can be done is to remove the infected plants, but because it's easily spread through soil and water and can be transferred by vehicle tires or people's shoes, that will not stop it. It also lingers in the soil for 30 years!

A scientist from the University of Florida told Nature Journal that the fungus spreads very slowly but it's only a matter of time until the bananas can no longer be produced for trade. So, this means the banana is headed for extinction but it may take some time before that happens.

A similar incident happened in the 1950s where there was another breed of banana, reportedly better tasting than the current one, that was being mass-produced and it got infected with this fungus and died off. Accordingly, we were left with the Cavendish which seems to be heading to the same fate.

You would think that researchers would have found an alternative after all these years but they haven't, which leads me to fear it won't happen anytime soon — the banana would probably be extinct before a new one is found. Research has been ongoing for a while, but so far they haven't been able to develop a banana that works for mass production.

Another disturbing thing is that many people in Latin America base their livelihood on the banana and it's a primary economic resource for some countries. This would mean a disaster for those people, much greater than just losing a great food source. There are other breeds of banana and plantains that are grown in the region, but they are also susceptible to infection by the same fungus, according to the National Geographic.

I'm sorry that I have no good news or happy ending, and no one in particular to blame. Maybe if more funding is put into research something will come up sooner. Or perhaps more bright minds need to be put to work on this.

We all (well most of us) love this yellow potassium-rich fruit that can act as a meal replacement. It's my favorite study food - I'm sure a lot of us will be really upset and saddened to see it gone. My only suggestion is to eat more bananas while you can!