Rapidly spreading ‘Candida auris’ fungus infection, America is also surprised, know what are the ways to avoid it

Morgantown (USA). At the end of March 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned about a rapidly spreading fungus called ‘Candida auris’, due to which patients are getting infected and dying in hospitals in the country. There has been an increase in the infection caused by this fungus in America. Professor and Physician of Infectious Diseases at West Virginia University Arif R. Sarvari spoke about Candida auris, how it is spreading and how people in America are concerned about it.

Candida auris has recently been identified which is a unicellular fungus and can infect humans. It is moderately resistant to anti-fungal drugs. Infection with Candida auris is more dangerous than infection with other fungus. Candida auris is a type of ‘yeast’ first identified in 2009 and is one of several species in the Candida family that can infect people.

Fungus growing in America
Healthy people do not need to worry about Candida infection, but patients with serious illnesses and those admitted to the intensive care unit in hospitals are at increased risk of infection with Candida auris. In recent years, cases of infection with fungus, especially Candida auris, have increased in the United States. According to the CDC, some cases were reported between 2013 and 2016, but in 2017, its cases increased rapidly and in 2022, 2,377 cases were registered.

Cases of death due to Candida auris infection increased
Cases of death due to Candida auris infection have also increased. In 2018, where 1,010 people died due to its infection, in 2021 this number increased to 1,800. The reasons for this increase are complex, but according to Sarwari, there are two main reasons for this. First, the increase in the number of sick patients admitted to hospitals and the increasing strain on the health system, both of which worsened during the Kovid-19 pandemic.

These are the ways to prevent infection
According to doctors, there are some major ways to prevent it. Among these, the most effective measures include adoption of infection-prevention habits, ie, cleaning hands thoroughly before and after meeting a patient, destroying the clothes and gloves worn during the meeting with the patient, and other preventive measures. Although these small precautionary steps are effective not only on fungus but also on other microbes.

It is necessary to develop antifungal drugs
Another option is to develop better drugs to treat newer, antifungal-resistant forms of Candida. Although work is going on to develop many new antifungal drugs.

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Tags: Black Fungus Infection, United States, WHO