The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning this week about the fast development of a potentially fatal and drug-resistant fungus illness in hospitals throughout the US.
According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Monday, cases of Candida auris, a fungus that may lead to deadly bloodstream infections and even death in persons with compromised immune systems, have risen sharply in recent years and increased dramatically in 2021.
According to CDC data, the number of cases climbed by an astounding 95% in that year, from 756 in 2020 to 1,471 in 2021.
According to the agency’s most recent data, instances increased last year, totaling 2,377 clinical cases.
The fungus poses a major danger to world health, according to the CDC. According to the organization, more than one in three people with a blood, heart, or brain inflection of Candida auris pass away.
Candida auris often spreads from person to person, as well as through contact with contaminated surfaces and equipment, in hospitals and nursing homes.
The CDC states that the fungus may survive on surfaces for a number of weeks.
The potentially lethal fungus is frequently resistant to conventional antifungal drugs, which contributes to an increase in infections.
The authors of the paper claim that the number of drug-resistant strains is also increasing.
The rise in cases that are incurable and signs of a deteriorating transmission were deemed particularly alarming by the health professionals.
More than half of the 50 states have reported cases of the fungus disease.
Health experts suspect that when several health institutions ceased admission testing for the fungus in the wake of COVID-19, the number of illnesses rose.
To stop the fungus from spreading further, the study’s authors stated that stronger detection and infection control procedures are very necessary.
