Candida auris is an “urgent threat” according to the CDC, because it is frequently multidrug-resistant, spreads rapidly through healthcare settings and can result in fatal illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report an “alarming” increase in the prevalence of a lethal fungal illness that is difficult to treat (CDC).
According to the CDC study, the number of reported cases in the United States doubled between 2020 and 2021, rising from 756 to 1,471.
Those with healthy immune systems are not at risk from Candida auris; however, those with compromised immune systems or who are dependent on medical devices such as ventilators or catheters are at risk of developing a serious disease or even death.
Anti-fungal drugs did not work for the vast majority of the instances that were examined. Thus, it is an “urgent antibiotic resistance threat,” as stated by the CDC. There are lots of people in hospitals and nursing homes right now.
HPV can be passed on through contact with afflicted patients and contaminated surfaces or equipment, as stated by the CDC.
Symptoms of Candida Auris
Dr. Meghan Lyman, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the report’s primary author said that it can be challenging to evaluate the specific impact Candida auris played in vulnerable individuals, even though one in three patients with invasive infections ultimately dies.
According to the CDC, the most typical symptoms include a persistent high temperature and chills that do not respond to therapy. Identifying the fungal infection can be challenging because most patients present with advanced illnesses.
An infection can only be confirmed by a lab test. In 2016, the disease was first documented in the United States. According to CDC data published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the incidence rate spiked the greatest from 2020 to 2021.
An additional source of the alarm was the development of resistance to the antifungal drug of choice for therapy, echinocandins. Poor infection prevention in healthcare facilities and increased screening efforts have been blamed by the CDC for the increase in reported cases.
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What did Doctors Say about Candida Auris?
The burden on healthcare and public health systems from the Covid-19 outbreak may have further contributed to the condition’s worsening. The chief epidemiologist in Mississippi has pinpointed one acute care hospital as the source of the disease spread.
“Unfortunately, multi-drug resistant organisms such as C. auris have become more prevalent among our highest risk individuals, such as residents in long-term care facilities”.
Preliminary CDC data suggests there were 5 confirmed cases of Candida auris in humans in 2022. There were 359 and 160 new cases in highly populated states, California and Texas, respectively.
There were 2,377 clinical cases in the United States in 2022, a significant increase from the 1,471 instances reported in the previous year.
Dr. Lyman told:
“Increasing emphasizes the need for continuous observation improved lab capacity, speedier diagnostic testing, and adherence to proven infection prevention and management”.
The number of reported cases of Candida auris has also been rising in other nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized it as a “fungal priority pathogen” last year.
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