What to know about Candida auris since it was deemed an urgent threat

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More information about the rate of Candida Auris cases, a deadly fungus that can resist antifungal drugs, is increasing, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is known as the U.S. emergency threat in 2023.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the surge has been found in 4,514 patients in the United States since 2023.

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Researchers from Florida and Texas, published earlier this month in a study published in the American Journal of Infection, observed fungi in large health systems from 2019 to 2023. They found it spread rapidly and the source of infection expanded.

Joanna Wagner of the Georgia Department of Public Health told local news outlet WJCL that in Georgia, there were 1,300 cases as of the end of February. It is fighting with the “List P” disinfectant registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a cleanser that can kill candida, such as hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid.

According to the federal government webpage updated in 2024, the latest data on Canadian cases say 43 people are known to have tested positive for Auris from 2012 to 2022.

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As of January 2025, it has been classified as a public health disease under the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act.

This is something to know.

When did Candida become a threat?

In March 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was considered an urgent antibacterial resistance (AR) threat because it resists a variety of antifungal drugs, its ability to spread easily in healthcare facilities and the fact that serious infections may cause high mortality.

“People who are sick have invasive medical devices or who have long-term or frequent accommodation in medical facilities are at increased risk,” the CDC said.

In June 2023, Ontario’s public health called Candida related.

What is Candida?

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According to Health Canada’s website, Candida is a fungus that causes invasive infections and outbreaks related to health care, posing a serious threat to human health worldwide. It can lead to severe illness or death.

According to Health Canada, it may be difficult to identify in a laboratory and therefore its testing may be underestimated. It is estimated that the mortality rate of invasive Candida infection is 40%.

The Cleveland Clinic says it’s hard to treat because it can resist multiple medications. It can cause ear infections, wound infections, urinary tract infections, and blood infections that can spread to other parts of the body. It can shrink by contacting a contaminated surface or other person infected.

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Although this is rare, the increase in global cases since 2019 is considered an emerging infectious disease, according to the Cleveland Clinic. There is a drug that usually cures fungal infections (echinocandins, a class of antifungal drugs), but because Candida can resist Candida, health care provides that “the combination of drugs may be needed to get rid of the infection.”

The CDC said the first time the U.S. reported candida in the U.S. in 2016. According to the Canadian Public Health Agency, there have been cases in Canada since 2012. However, among a Canadian patient hospitalized in India in May 2017, the first case of multiple resistant versions of the disease was reportedly.

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According to a Canadian study, Auris has been described in Japan in 2009, and Auris has been found in more than 40 countries since then.

What information is there about Candida in Candida Canada?

In Canada, people who are largely affected by fungi are hospitalized patients. According to the federal government, in other countries, residents of long-term care are at high risk and disproportionate impact.

This month, the federal government updated its 2024 notice on fungal infections, which expanded recommendations for outbreak management and screening. The report is intended for use in healthcare environments, including various procedures that should be followed, from disinfecting patients’ rooms to visitors’ considerations. It also goes beyond screening and surveillance and testing methods.

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One study researchers titled the first report on the outbreak of the Canadian emerging pathogen Candida Auris published in 2021, observing the outbreak in the Greater Vancouver area in 2018. They identified four cases. The outbreak can be curbed because none of these cases resist drugs. The outbreak was announced within two months. However, the researchers concluded that “the transmission of Auris in healthcare facilities has not yet been retained in Canadian institutions.”

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