A dangerous fungal infection that seems to come straight out of an episode of “The Last of Us” has spread across the United States.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there may have been less attention paid to infection prevention and control compared to non-pandemic periods.
In addition to the surge in cases in the US, cases are also distributed in 30 countries/regions.
Global spread is still early, mycologists have been able to identify lineages as they move around, a bit like SARS-Cov-2. The outbreak in UK has certainly been increasing since the first reports. Of course, when new things emerge, it’s difficult to develop in any direction other than up. So far, most of them have been controlled here, but it’s only a matter of time.
Zombie fungus spread in The Last of Us
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine that Candida auris, a fungus, is spreading across the country and first cases have been identified in 17 states from 2019 to 2021.
Cases increased by 44% from 2018 to 2019 and by 95% from 2020 to 2021 — from 756 cases in 2020 to 1,471 cases in 2021. By 2022, there were believed to be 2,377 infection cases in the United States.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the fungal infection is resistant to many antifungal drugs, making it a “serious global health threat.”
Candida auris is a yeast that typically doesn’t cause any symptoms but can lead to bloodstream infections, wound infections, and ear infections in patients with weakened immune systems and those with tubes and catheters in their bodies.
The highest-risk groups include people with weakened immune systems, those who have recently had surgery, and those with some form of diabetes or who have recently used broad-spectrum antibiotics and antifungal drugs. The infection most commonly affects people in hospitals and causes death in around a quarter of infected patients.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there may have been less attention paid to infection prevention and control compared to non-pandemic periods.
In addition to the surge in cases in the US, cases are also distributed in 30 countries/regions.
Global spread is still early, mycologists have been able to identify lineages as they move around, a bit like SARS-Cov-2. The outbreak in UK has certainly been increasing since the first reports. Of course, when new things emerge, it’s difficult to develop in any direction other than up. So far, most of them have been controlled here, but it’s only a matter of time.
Post time: Mar-27-2023