New York health officials won't disclose facilities hit by deadly superbug
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Cultured C. auris in a petri dish. Some strains of it are resistant to all three major classes of antifungal drugs. Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- A deadly drug-resistant fungus is spreading in hospitals and nursing homes throughout New York City and its suburbs, threatening the lives of those with weakened immune systems. But so far, health officials are refusing to identify the affected facilities.
"It's a very serious health threat," said Dr. Irwin Redlener, Columbia University professor and an expert on public health policy. "It's a superbug, meaning resistant to all-known antibiotics."
It is known as Candida auris, and it is lethal for some patients with existing medical problems .
"These people would be in danger, so you don't want somebody visiting the hospital not knowing that it's around and somehow contracting the infection," Dr. Redlener said. "That would be an utter disaster."
The state Department of Health says there is no risk to the general public and notes that the vast majority of patients have had serious underlying medical conditions.
The numbers underscore the growing health threat. Since first surfacing in 2016, Candida auris has stricken 613 people nationwide.
Related:
1. Deadly Superbug Candida Auris Reaches California
2. What You Need to Know About Candida Auris
3. Novel antifungal shows early promise against Candida auris
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Why is it so dangerous?
C. auris is often resistant to major antifungal drugs that are typically used to treat such infections. The C.D.C. says that more than 90 percent of C. auris infections are resistant to at least one such drug, while 30 percent are resistant to two or more major drugs. Once the germ is present, it is hard to eradicate from a facility. Some hospitals have had to bring in special cleaning equipment and even rip out floor and ceiling tiles to get rid of it. (Link)
My understanding is, it spreads like wild fire. It quickly gets in to everything. The smallest cracks, crevasses, everything.
And that creates a really serious problem. (I imagine eventually the technology that can deal with this will be invented-- but it will continue to present a serious problem in the meantime).
One of the improvements currently in use are UV robots.
nano-bots
Wll, duh, Doc...it's a fungus not a bacterium
I've had MRSA and a dear friend's daughter died from undiagnosed MRSA that spread throughout her body and by the time they figured it out, it was too late. These superbugs should scare the crap out of everybody.
Stuff is crazy. My friend got an infection many years ago. Bad deal. Scary. Also scary is the fact that, to this day, almost every time he gets a cut or scrape...nasty, painful infection sets in.