The spread of a deadly black fungus with a 60% fatality rate has prompted an urgent health warning. The antibiotic-resistant, lethal C auris fungus has received a "concerning" warning from the American College of Physicians (ACAP) due to its fast spread. As a "urgent threat" in 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had previously stated as much.
The most recent statistics indicate a rise in numbers over the previous four years. In 2020 and 2021, the number of cases in the US more than tripled, and the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant strains increased.
According to the Mirror, the fatal fungus is reported to have a 60% mortality rate among those it infects. After coming into direct contact with a contaminated material, a person contracts the infection and can pass it on to other people through physical contact.
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Echinocandin, an antifungal drug, is the first line of treatment for C auris, and strict handwashing is advised to prevent the spread of the infection. In the most recent analysis, the number of confirmed and probable cases reported to state and municipal health facilities between 2016 and 2021 was examined.
According to the CDC, 7,000 people died from fungal diseases in the US in 2021, and 1.5 million people died from them globally. Several specialists have hypothesised that this is due to the changing environment, where the temperature is optimum for the fungus to develop and spread quickly.
Researchers found infections had risen from 1,310 in 2020 to 4,041 in 2021 while clinical cases of C auris increased to 2,377 with 5,754 screening results last year. According to the Daily Mail, authors of the CDC study said the findings "highlight the need for improved detection and infection control practices to prevent spread of C auris".
They also added that the spread of the fungus could potentially have been "exacerbated by pandemic-related strain on the health care and public health systems". It was reported in America in 2016 that C auris was given the highest level of concern by the CDC due to its frequent resistance to many drugs, the ease of the spread in healthcare settings and the high mortality rate.
The main symptoms of the deadly fungus are fever and chills which do not improve. The disease can cause different kinds of infection and it is thought that the number of C auris cases may even be underestimated in the study as screening for the fungus is not uniformly conducted across the country.
New York City and Chicago were reported to be the worst affected but cases of the fungus have now occurred in more than half of US states. In most cases, the spread has been inside long-term care hospitals and nursing homes.
Oregon, Minnesota and Michigan all reported their first case of the fatal fungus in 2021. Meanwhile, areas with previous cases but limited spread including California, Texas and Florida, had new and increasing transmission.
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