MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ohio (WDTN) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning the public about a deadly fungus that they’re calling an “urgent antimicrobial resistance threat.”
The fungus is known as Candida auris, and Public Health – Dayton and Montgomery County reported that there has been one case of it in the county in 2023, and three cases in 2022.
According to the CDC, it has already been detected in more than half of U.S. states. Between, 2020 and 2021, the fungus “spread at an alarming rate.”
“The timing of this increase and findings from public health investigations suggest C. auris spread may have worsened due to strain on healthcare and public health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the CDC.
The CDC said it usually isn’t a significant threat to healthy people, however, outbreaks are a big threat in healthcare settings where the fungus can enter patients’ bloodstreams and cause severe or even deadly infections.
Candida auris is concerning because it is often resistant to anti-fungal drugs, making it hard to treat infections. It can also be difficult to identify with standard lab tests, making it even more difficult to treat properly, according to the CDC.
Becky Thomas, M.D., M.P.H, medical director of PHDMC said, “So the people who get sick with Candida auris already are usually sick with a lot of other illnesses, and so they’re being treated for other things. So health care providers should look for this infection when they have patients that are being treated for other illnesses and don’t seem to be getting better.”
For more information about Candida auris, click here.
