You have a bad infestation of mealybugs. It is a common and unfortunately difficult pest to eliminate, due to the waxy coating on the body of the adult. I found a good website which might help you. (UC IPM) Univ. of Calif. Integrated Pest Management. The fungus looking patches are egg sacks, the nymphs are colorless and mobile, difficult to spot. This website recommends dabbing rubbing alcohol (less than 70% directly on the adults) this dehydrates them. You can wipe off the egg sacks and spray with a 10-25% alcohol dilution. The issue is burning the plant with too high a concentration od alcohol. With this level of infestation, you need to get under the scales on the neck. Try it for a while, if you can't control it, you may need to dispose of it. Good luck.
