Why is the deadly fungal infection Candida auris spreading so rapidly?

Cases of the drug-resistant, and potentially deadly, fungus Candida auris are now climbing at an “alarming” rate in healthcare facilities around the country. That was a warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday.

Reports of patients infected with the fungal infection nearly doubled in 2021 since the first cases were reported in the U.S. in 2016. Thirty states and the District of Columbia have now reported Candida auris patients.

The infection often causes no symptoms in the bodies of healthy people, but between 30 percent and 60 percent of hospitalized people who develop bloodstream infections are estimated to die, according to CDC data. However, the CDC also notes that many of these patients had other serious illnesses that increased their risk of death.

We discuss how seriously we should be taking this infection, who’s most at risk for contracting Candida auris, and what treatment options they have.