Candida auris, often called C. auris, is a nasty fungus that can make people very sick. This yeast was first found in the United States in 2016 and has spread quickly in hospitals and nursing homes. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) shared a warning in 2023 about how fast C. auris is growing.
C. auris is tough to treat because it usually doesn’t respond to common antifungal medicines. This can lead to serious infections that are complicated and sometimes impossible to fix. In 2016, there were 52 reported infections, but by 2023, that number jumped to 4,514!
This yeast can cause both minor issues, like skin infections, and very serious problems like life-threatening infections in the blood. The CDC has called C. auris an urgent threat because it is considered dangerous. They estimate that 30 to 60 out of every 100 people with this infection may die, but many of those were already very ill.
Dr. Meghan Lyman from the CDC said that the quick rise in C. auris cases is a big worry. It shows that we need to keep a close eye on it, improve lab testing, and stick to strong infection control methods.
A new study pointed out that the number of clinical samples with C. auris is going up quickly. Melissa Nolan, a professor at the University of South Carolina, explained that if someone gets an infection from C. auris and it doesn’t respond to treatment, they have no way to fight it off. “You’re all on your own,” she said.
C. auris can survive in places like patient beds and handrails. If these areas aren’t cleaned well, the fungus can stay behind and grow stronger over time. This makes hospitals a place where C. auris can spread easily.
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