CDC Closely Monitors New Global Threat

In May, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared with infection prevention advisory committee members their latest update on what the agency is calling a “serious global threat” – Candida auris. Medline’s director of clinical affairs, Rosie Lyles, MD, attended the meeting.

Candida auris is a fungus that causes severe illness in hospitalized patients. In the U.S., most of the cases have appeared in the New York City area and New Jersey according to the CDC’s monitoring report. The third location with more than 25 cases is Illinois.

“From this meeting we got a real sense of rise of emerging pathogens, specifically C. auris, and have a better understanding that this is a global public health concern and healthcare providers are in a relentless battle to prevent the spread of serious infections,” said Lyles.

According to Lyles the major concern for healthcare facilities is the incorrect management of patients. Colonization of C. auris can exist for an extended period of time, especially on surfaces in hospitals, nursing home or pretty much any healthcare facility. The CDC recommends identifying the infected patients and placing them in a single-patient room.

There are very few treatments for C.auris and it is resistant to anti-fungal drugs, hence the serious global threat.

Read how clinicians and healthcare leaders can learn from the c. auris outbreak to improve their infection prevention protocols.