The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that Candida auris, a rare and sometimes deadly fungal disease first reported in Japan in 2009 (but known from South Korea in 1996), is spreading through the U.S. It has a mortality rate of up to 60 percent affecting primarily old people and those with weakened immune systems. It causes no symptoms on the body of healthy people. There were at least 2,377 confirmed cases in the U.S. in 2022. The disease has now been tracked in half of the states in the U.S. The fungus is manifesting resistance to antifungal medication.
“The rise in echinocandin-resistant cases and evidence of transmission is particularly concerning because echinocandins are first-line therapy for invasive Candida infections, including C auris,” a research paper informed. The fungus became adangerous public health care threat. „Continued surveillance, expanded lab capacity, quicker diagnostic tests, and adherence to proven infection prevention and control” are urgently required, CDC epidemiologist Dr. Meghan Lyman said. Candida auris has also been reported in more than 30 countries. It can spread from person to person or from interactions with contamined surfaces. It is a major threat in hospitals and nursing homes. The ability of laboratories to detect and diagnose cases has improved over the years. The World Health Organization last year ranked Candida auris as among the worst fungal threats facing public health today.
