Federal surveillance data show more than 3,000 clinical cases of the drug-resistant fungus Candida auris reported in the United States so far in 2026, with cases logged in 23 states as of July 18.
The people affected are not the general public. Nearly all confirmed infections occur in patients who are already seriously ill: hospital patients on ventilators, people with central venous lines or urinary catheters, and residents of long-term acute care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. If you have a parent in a nursing home, a relative in an intensive care unit, or a family member with a long-term feeding tube or catheter, this is a story about their facility's infection control practices, not about your kitchen counter.
