CDC warns of deadly fungus spreading at alarming rate

The CDC is warning about a potentially deadly fungus that’s apparently spreading throughout hospitals. Cases have been reported in at least 30 states, including California. CBS’s Jasmine Ramirez has detais on known cases in San Diego and talked with an infectious disease expert to learn who is most at risk. Cases of this fungus are climbig at hospitals and nursing homes, the CDC says cases nearly doubln 2021 and continue to grow. The C says the rise in Candida oris is an urgent threat. The World Health Organization lt year ranked it as among the wort fungal threats facing public

he. Doctor Monica Gandhi says it cae deadly for people who have weak immune systems. People getting in through the skin into the catheters that wee like IV lines getting it into the blood. Stream and unfortunately then people can get really sick, she says about one in three patients who are seriously infed die Candida oris cases are grow. The CDC reported 756 in 2020. This jumped to more than 1400 and 2021 and more than 2300 cases in 202. It is often drug resistant. We have to pull out kind of big gun antifungals to use for this.

So fundamentally we need to get on top of. Cleaning things, you know, using less antibiotics, good infection control practice, the CDC says California has the second most cases in

the nation. In September 2021, two patients tested positive in San Diego County at 2 separate health care facilities. Health officials recommend screenings to detect the fungus and taking special steps to isolate infected patients. It is still very rare to cause serious infections. Those are serious infections and really in immunocompromised. People in long term care facilis raising the alarm is the right thing to do, she says. Healthy

people can be infected and have no idea because they don’t show any symptoms. Jason Ramirez, CBS 8.