- In recent years, Candida auris is spreading at alarming rate in the United States and other parts of the world.
- The infection was first detected in 2016 and has been increasingly spreading across the globe, especially in the US.
- According to the CDC, there have been over 1,600 confirmed cases of Candida auris in the US as of March 2023.
- It is said to prove potential threat to world and that the outbreak needs to be controlled.
Explained: Why Candida Auris is Spreading at Alarming Rate
Dr. Meghan Lyman, chief medical officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mycotic diseases branch said, the increases, “especially in the most recent years, are really concerning to us”.
“We’ve seen increases not just in areas of ongoing transmission, but also in new areas,” she said.
The fungus found on the skin and throughout the body is not a threat to healthy people. Meghan Layman also says that some disinfectants commonly used also don’t work on the fungus and thus thorough cleaning in the hospital is also challenging as the fungus can linger for a long on the surface.
The CDC experts said that the robust infection control plans to reduce transmission of fungus which can lead to the outbreak as it lingers on the surface and spreads through contact with patients and contaminated objects.
“If [the fungi] get into a hospital, they are very difficult to control and get out. They can persist, smoldering, causing infections for a considerable period of time despite the best efforts of the infection control team and everyone else in the hospital,”
William Schaffner, a professor of medicine in the infectious diseases division of Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
History of Candida Auris
The first identified 2009 deadly fungus in Asia by name Candida auris which was reported in the US in 2016 is now spreading rapidly at an alarming rate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Monday that the fungus is spreading among long-term care hospitals and other facilities for sick people.
Candida Auris is Spreading Fast
Researchers at the CDC have found that this type of yeast can cause severe illness. It is a potentially deadly rapidly growing fungus in health facilities in the US. The infection tripled from 2019 to 2021 from 476 to 1471, as per CDC data. The cases of fungus without infection have also increased four times from 1077 to 4040 in the same period. There is no doubt that Candida Auris is spreading at alarming rate.
Spreading Rapidly in Healthcare Settings
The rate at which the number of people getting affected by the infection as well as the ones found during screening also increased since 2016. It has been cleared that the fungus is not a threat to healthy people with good immunity. It has been known to spread rapidly in healthcare settings, such as hospitals and long-term care facilities. The danger of being affected by the infection is found more in the case of patients in the nursing home on ventilators and cancer patients on chemotherapy.
Candida Auris is a Global Threat
The fungus is said to become a global public health threat because it is resistant to different classes of drugs. It is difficult to control the spread of echinocandin which is a rare drug to be deployed for treatment in the US and the concern is that the existing number of cases are resisting the class of drugs thus increasing the chances of the spread of the virus.
The C. auris fungus has been detected in more than half of the US and the infections from 2020 to 2021 have increased by 95%. It has also been found recently that there is a growing outbreak of fungus in the Mississippi. There have been four deaths potentially associated with the infection as per state’s health department.
Conclusion
To help prevent the spread of Candida auris, healthcare facilities should follow strict infection control procedures, such as using appropriate disinfectants and cleaning protocols, and ensuring that healthcare workers are trained in proper hand hygiene practices. Additionally, early detection and isolation of patients with Candida auris infections can help prevent outbreaks. For latest updates on Candida auris, keep checking CDC Website.
