Natalia Chi
NEW YORK — U.S. cases of dangerous fungi have tripled in just three years and are now being reported in more than half of the states, according to a new study.
The COVID-19 pandemic likely caused some of the increase, write researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. paper It was announced Monday by the Annals of Internal Medicine. Hospital employees were strained by coronavirus patients, which likely distracted them from disinfecting other types of germs, they said.
fungus, Candida aurisis a type of yeast that is normally harmless to healthy people, but can be a deadly risk to vulnerable hospital and nursing home patients. It spreads easily and can infect wounds, ears and the bloodstream. Some strains are so-called superbugs that are resistant to all three classes of antibiotics used to treat fungal infections.
It was first confirmed in Japan in 2009, and has since been seen in more and more countries. The first US case he occurred in 2013, but was not reported until 2016. US health officials reported 53 cases of him that year.
A new study finds that the number of cases continues to soar, rising to 476 in 2019, 756 in 2020 and 1,471 in 2021. Doctors have also detected the fungus on the skin of thousands of other patients, making them a risk of infection. others.
Many of the original U.S. cases were infections imported from abroad, but now most infections are spreading within the United States, the authors note.
