Potentially deadly fungal infections are spreading at an "alarming rate" across the US, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said this week. Candida auris is an emerging fungus considered as an "urgent antimicrobial resistance threat" and it is spreading through US healthcare facilities.
The CDC has described candida auris as "an emerging fungus that presents a serious global health threat". It is often multi-drug-resistant, difficult to identify and has caused outbreaks in healthcare settings.
In general, it is not a threat to healthy people, but can cause serious bloodstream infections and even death - particularly in hospital and nursing home patients with serious medical problems, according to CDC. The CDC announced the "rapid rise and geographic spread of cases" since it was first reported in the US in 2016 as concerning, and emphasized the need for surveillance. According to the CDC, clinical cases rose from 476 in 2019 to 1,471 in 2021 - the biggest yearly increase since 2016. You can get more health news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
