There are reports of a potentially deadly fungus that is causing problems at SoCal healthcare medical facilities.
It's a potentially deadly fungus that turns up and there have been reports of at least one outbreak in LA County.
According to an LA Times story on Monday "L.A. County officials are warning about multiple reports of the fungus, known as Candida auris, in healthcare facilities; there is also an increase in reports of the fungus in Orange County."
The fungus causes bloodstream infections and can be deadly in hospitals and nursing home patients with serious health problems. Authorities say it's often resistant to anti-fungal medications.
The LA Times story reported that "If a patient is positive for more than one organism, ensure you use an Environmental Protection Agency-registered hospital-grade disinfectant that is effective against all organisms the patient is positive for. Check the label,” health officials said."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website "CDC is concerned about C. auris for three main reasons:
It is often multidrug-resistant, meaning that it is resistant to multiple antifungal drugs commonly used to treat Candida infections. Some strains are resistant to all three available classes of antifungals.
It is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods, and it can be misidentified in labs without specific technology. Misidentification may lead to inappropriate management.
It has caused outbreaks in healthcare settings. For this reason, it is important to quickly identify C. auris in a hospitalized patient so that healthcare facilities can take special precautions to stop its spread."