CDC Warns of Potentially Deadly ‘Super Fungus’ Spreading Across New York
A potentially deadly super fungus has spread across 12 states in the United States, including New York which has been hardest hit. The CDC is warning that the super fungus which is a type of yeast called Candida Auris, is potentially deadly and incredibly difficult to treat.
Of the 587 confirmed cases of C. auris infections, the state of New York has seen the most at over 300. New Jersey and Illinois have both seen over 100 cases. The CDC also notes, "An additional 1056 patients have been found to be colonized with C. auris by targeted screening in seven states with clinical cases."
According to the CDC “Patients who have been hospitalized in a healthcare facility a long time, have a central venous catheter, or other lines or tubes entering their body, or have previously received antibiotics or antifungal medications, appear to be at highest risk of infection with this yeast.”
The CDC believes that the super fungus was first identified 2009 in Japan, however, researchers also believed that the strain may have actually originated in South Korea and has been around since 1996. The CDC reports that “30–60% of people with C. auris infections have died. However, many of these people had other serious illnesses that also increased their risk of death.”
The most common symptoms of the C. aurius infection are a fever and chills that don't go away or get better after receiving antibiotics for a suspected bacterial infection. However, the only way to know whether or not a person has positively been infected with the C. aurius infection is through a lab test.
If you believe that you or someone in your family may be infected with C. Auris, you should reach out to a doctor as soon as possible.
[via CDC]