It has been revealed the fact that there’s a first outbreak of deadly fungal infection that has been confirmed in Washington. Check out the latest reports about this below.
Outbreak of deadly fungal infection
Authorities in the state of Washington have confirmed an outbreak of a deadly fungal infection that has been on the rise across the United States in recent years.
According to officials in King County, an outbreak involving three patients infected by Candida auris, or C. auris, was reported at Kindred Hospital in Seattle starting from mid-January. Another case was detected on January 26th at a nursing home in nearby Snohomish County, as per the officials’ statement on Tuesday.
“These patients had previously tested negative for C. auris when they were first admitted,” it said. “This is the first known outbreak of C. auris in Washington state.”
The health department announced that it will collaborate with Kindred Hospital to curb the spread of C. auris.
This initiative includes isolating patients who test positive for the fungal infection, thereby preventing them from coming into contact with other patients. Additionally, Kindred Hospital will notify other facilities that had previously received patients from Kindred, as well as facilities that may receive patients who screen positive for C. auris.
“As is the case with many multi-drug resistant organisms, it can be difficult to identify the initial source of the infection, and while the investigation is ongoing, the original source of C. auris in this situation may never be identified,” the statement continued.
“However, with the early identification of these cases, there is a greater opportunity to reduce the risk of further spread.”
According to data provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the fungal infection C. auris continues to spread across the United States. The CDC reports that cases of this infection have been rising every year since 2016.
Between 2019 and 2021, 17 states identified their first cases of C. auris, and clinical cases rose nationwide from 476 in 2019 to 1,471 in 2021. The CDC also noted that screening cases tripled from 2020 to 2021, with a total of 4,041 cases identified.
The CDC attributes the increase in cases to a variety of factors, including poor practices around general infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities, as well as a possible increase in reporting and detecting cases.
