Health officials warn of deadly candida auris fungus in N.J.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A potentially deadly fungus is spreading in health care facilities across the country at "an alarming rate," according to renewed warnings from the CDC.
New Jersey is a hot spot for this fungus and health officials are renewing warnings because it's resistant to treatment.
The CDC says nation-wide cases tripled in a three year period.
The fungus is called Candida Auris. The drug-resistant yeast mainly impacts hospitals and nursing homes and can be serious and deadly for people with weakened immune systems.
"This is a very important problem it's a concerning problem that impacts the lives of millions of Americans," Dr. Arjun Srinivasan from the CDC said.
The CDC says the fungus is spreading at an alarming rate across the country.
Two-thirds of all cases in the U.S. were concentrated in New York City and New Jersey.
Federal health officials are bracing for an even larger number of cases.
"They are not going anywhere they are only gong to become a bigger problem," Srinivasan said.
The majority of the cases in Pennsylvania are located in the Philadelphia region.
"This is not a threat to the general public at home. But it is a significant issue for long-term health facilities," Dr. Lawrence Livornese said.
Dr. Livornese, an infectious disease specialist with Main Line Health, says Candida Auris can be difficult to treat and it spreads easily.
"This can be transmitted from skin-to-skin contact or from somebody contaminated a surface touching a surface and a second person touching it and picking up the yeast from that surface,"
Dr. Livornese said they're not sure why there's been an increase of cases recently.
"I think during COVID our health care facilities were stressed in terms of personal protective equipment," Livornese said.
Health care facilities now have increased cleaning and infection control measures in place aiming to curb the spread of infections.
Health officials say the last 12 months account for over 40% of all cases that has doctors concerned about a growing public health concern.
What are the symptoms of candida auris?
CBS News reports candida auris may not result in symptoms in healthy people.
For others, complications include bloodstream infections and other infections. The fungus can develop into invasive candidiasis that could cause fever and chills.
