The Candida auris fungus had just one reported U.S. case as of July 2016. A year later, there have been 98 reported cases in hospitals in nine states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Former acting CDC director Anne Schuchat, MD, called it a “catastrophic threat.” STAT News reported hospitals in other countries have been forced to go to extreme lengths to stop its spread, including one case where the intensive care unit had to be temporarily shut down.
“It’s a high priority for really sick people right now and we at CDC are taking a very aggressive approach to see if we can’t control, contain and even eradicate it from the places it exists,” said Tom Chiller, MD, MPHTM, the CDC’s chief of mycotic diseases.
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.