A deadly fungus that causes a hard-to-treat infection is spreading at an “alarming” rate in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned.
“The rapid increase and geographic spread of cases is concerning and underscores the need for continued surveillance,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemiologist Dr.re Meghan Lyman, per statement.
The emerging fungus Candida auris, considered “an urgent antimicrobial resistance threat”, has spread at an “alarming” rate between 2020 and 2021, according to data from the American organization.
Indeed, screenings for this fungal infection are said to have tripled between 2020 and 2021, rising from 1,471 to 4,041 cases, according to the report.
“The CDC continued to see an increase in cases in 2022,” the statement said.
Equally worrying: the number of cases of these fungi resistant to antifungal drugs, normally used for treatment, also tripled in 2021.
While the fungus is generally not a threat to healthy people, patients who stay in healthcare facilities for long periods of time or who use invasive medical devices are at greater risk of becoming infected.
Thus, the CDC considered the fungus “a threat […] urgent”, given his propensity to “[résister] to several antifungal drugs, [à] with [propager] easily in healthcare facilities and [à] cause serious infections with high mortality rates”.