Increasing Spread of C. auris in Healthcare Facilities
NEW CITY, NY, - Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert want to inform residents about Candida auris (C. auris), an infectious disease of concern because it is resistant to antibiotics/antifungal medications. This type of fungus can persist on surfaces in healthcare environments and spread between patients in long-term care facilities and hospitals.
While this serious healthcare issue warrants attention in healthcare facilities, the public should not panic. C. auris infection usually occurs in those who have had prolonged critical illness, a tube inserted in the body (e.g., catheter), a weak immune system, or prolonged antimicrobial use.
“Antimicrobial resistance is a global and public health issue not to be minimized, but the general public does not need to be alarmed or unduly worried. As previously mentioned, it takes a lot for someone to get infected with C. auris, and the patients are usually debilitated beforehand. This is not going to cause a pandemic or a wave of illness as we saw with COVID-19,” said Dr. Chitra Punjabi, Director of TB and Communicable Disease Control.
C. auris was first identified in Japan in 2009 and, since then, has been found in over 30 countries, including the United States. The first U.S. case found retrospectively in 2016 occurred in 2013. Clinical cases have increased yearly since 2016, with the most rapid rise occurring from 2020-2021. CDC has continued to see an increase in case counts for 2022. Screening is important to prevent the spread by identifying patients carrying the fungus so that infection prevention controls can be used. For more information and case counts, visit https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/p0320-cauris.html.
According to the CDC, the rapid rise in cases in recent years could be attributed to poor general infection prevention and control practices in healthcare facilities and enhanced efforts to detect cases. The timing of the increase also suggests C. auris spread may have worsened due to strain on healthcare and public health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I want to emphasize that this is not a threat to the general public. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to contain the spread of C. auris in hospitals and nursing homes. It is important to follow infection prevention and control measures such as hand washing and proper disinfection practices,” said Dr. Ruppert.
For more information, visit CDC https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/candida-auris/candida-auris-qanda.html or NYS Department of Health https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/c_auris/.
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