The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Monday warned that a deadly fungus called Candida auris (C. auris) is spreading at an "alarming rate" in the U.S. healthcare facilities.
“The rapid rise and geographic spread of cases is concerning and emphasizes the need for continued surveillance, expanded lab capacity, quicker diagnostic tests, and adherence to proven infection prevention and control,” said CDC epidemiologist Dr. Meghan Lyman, lead author of the paper, in a press release.
Adding to the agency's concerns, the number of infections that were resistant to echinocandins, which is the antifungal medicine most commonly used to treat C. auris infections, tripled in 2021.
The CDC classified C. auris as an "urgent antimicrobial resistance (AR) threat," meaning "it is often resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, spreads easily in healthcare facilities, and can cause severe infections with high death rates."
Between 2016, when C. auris was first reported, and 2021, there have been a total of 3,270 clinical cases reported and 7,413 screening cases.
The agency said "poor general infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in healthcare facilities" are responsible for the spread. However, expanded efforts to detect cases is also responsible for the jump in reported cases.
President Joe Biden is undertaking what would be the most ambitious effort to cut America’s oil, gas and coal emissions and stave off the worst effects of climate change.
The Doomsday Clock remains as close to midnight as it has ever been – just 100 seconds to midnight.
Today we take road signs for granted. We see these shapes and colors and understand their meaning, even without words. And that was the intention. There’s a forgotten science to the shapes of our signs.
In New York City, residents are lining up for the vaccine even as the distribution chain becomes strained. Cheddar's Chloe Aiello follows the reservation process and how the state will manage its supply of vaccines.
The Biden administration is boosting purchases of coronavirus vaccines to deliver enough to protect 300 million Americans by the end of the summer.
For over a century, 105 miles of pipes underneath Manhattan's streets have delivered steam to some of the city's oldest and tallest buildings.
Coronavirus deaths and cases in the U.S. have dropped markedly over the past couple of weeks but are still running at alarmingly high levels.
Chobani's President and COO Peter McGuinness spoke with Cheddar about the yogurt company's compensation plan for employees to get COVID vaccinations.
With millions of Americans waiting for their chance to get the coronavirus vaccine, a fortunate few are getting bumped to the front of the line as clinics scramble to get rid of extra, perishable doses at the end of the day.
Tom Price, former secretary of Health and Human Services under President Trump, talked to Cheddar about the new administration's plans for taking on COVID-19.
