The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported outbreak of drug resistant superbug fungus among patients and healthcare providers in Texas and Washington, D.C.
As told by CDC, Superbug Fungus, scientifically known as “Candida auris”, primarily attacks the people with weakened immune systems. According to the health organization, evidence suggests the cases of Superbug fungus involved person-to-person transmission, which would be a first for the U.S.
Dr. Meghan Lyman of the CDC, and the author of the report, said in a statement, “This is the first time we’ve seen clusters of pan-resistant C. auris, which suggests spread within U.S. healthcare facilities. While we’ve only seen a small number of cases, it’s likely that there are more cases not being identified,” Lyman continued, “So we are urging healthcare facilities to take proactive steps to identify and prevent spread of this fungus so that it does not gain a foothold in their patient population.”
The Dallas area hospitals and a Texas nursing home have reported 123 cases of superbug from January to April. As per the CDC officials, three of the five patients, who did not respond to treatment died, including two in Texas and one in DC.
The infection was, which was first seen in the USA in 2103, is gradually spreading across the country. Apart from Texas and Washington, cases have been reported in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, California, Indiana and several other states.
The CDC data states that the fungus started spreading in the US in 2015, recording a 318 percent rise in cases by 2018, when compared to the average number reported from 2015 to 2017. In 2019, around 587 cases of superbug were reported throughout the US. According to the CDC, up to 60 percent of people infected by Candida auris have died, but they also had serious illnesses that contributed to the cause of deaths.
The major symptoms of this infection are that it brings fever and chills. The fungus can lead to wound infections or bloodstream infections, which can be also turn fatal.
The report also stated that the “data are lacking” about how to deal with the fungus which is resistant to all current drugs. “Surveillance, public health reporting, and infection control measures are critical to containing further spread,” the report said.
