The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a drug-resistant fungus is spreading rapidly through health care facilities in the U.S.
The announcement came Monday, as infections from a yeast strain Candida auris, or C. auris have spiked from 476 in 2019 to more than 4,000 last year.
While the fungus isn’t considered a threat to healthy people, it could be a challenge for those who are battling an illness, or those simply receiving care at hospitals.
The CDC attributed the rise in these infections to poor infection prevention and control practices at hospitals and healthcare facilities, as well as increased testing.
“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,” CDC epidemiologist Dr. Meghan Lyman, lead author of the paper, said in a statement.
The agency says it will continue to monitor the fungus.
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