A deadly, drug-resistant fungus is lurking in American hospitals with a kill rate upwards of 60%, spreading rapidly while the CDC fumbles with bureaucratic warnings – and somehow our billion-dollar healthcare system can’t even kill a mushroom.
At a Glance
- Candida auris is a deadly, drug-resistant fungus spreading through US healthcare facilities with cases more than doubling annually since 2016
- The fungus has a shocking 30-60% mortality rate and has been declared an “urgent threat” by the CDC
- California leads with 1,566 reported cases, with recent dangerous surges in Georgia and Florida healthcare facilities
- Most common hospital disinfectants are completely ineffective against C. auris, which can persist on surfaces for months
- Patients with catheters, breathing tubes, or feeding tubes are at highest risk of infection
The Fungus Among Us: Another CDC “Urgent Threat”
Just when you thought hospital visits couldn’t get more terrifying, there’s a new player in town that makes MRSA look like the common cold. Candida auris has been silently infiltrating American healthcare facilities since 2016, and in classic government fashion, the CDC is only now ringing alarm bells after cases have skyrocketed to 4,514 in 2023. That’s right, folks – cases have more than doubled annually while our tax-funded health overlords have been busy with, well, whatever else they’ve been doing besides protecting the public from deadly pathogens.
California – always wanting to be first in everything – currently leads the nation with 1,566 cases. Meanwhile, Georgia and Florida hospitals are reporting dangerous surges, suggesting this microscopic menace is finding the sunshine states particularly hospitable. This isn’t just another bureaucratic overreaction – C. auris carries a mortality rate between 30% and 60%, which makes COVID look like a walk in the park for those who actually catch it.
Hospital Safety Theater: When Purell Just Doesn’t Cut It
If you’ve ever been to a hospital, you’ve seen staff obsessively applying hand sanitizer and wiping down surfaces. Turns out that’s mostly safety theater when it comes to C. auris. In a twist that would be comical if it weren’t so terrifying, most common hospital disinfectants – especially those relying on quaternary ammonia compounds – are completely useless against this fungus. So while nurses diligently wipe down everything with hospital-grade cleaners, this microscopic assassin just laughs and continues colonizing patients and equipment.
The fungus spreads through direct contact with infected individuals, contaminated surfaces, and medical equipment. It can colonize patients for months and persist on both high-touch and distant surfaces in patient rooms. Remember all those “enhanced cleaning protocols” hospitals implemented during COVID? Apparently, they missed the memo that a different pathogen would require completely different protocols. Your tax dollars at work, ladies and gentlemen.
“The rapid rise and geographic spread of cases is concerning and emphasizes the need for continued surveillance, expanded lab capacity, quicker diagnostic tests, and adherence to proven infection prevention and control”, says Dr. Meghan Lyman.
The Ultimate Vulnerable Patients: Tubes Make You a Target
Who’s at risk? Well, if you’re sick enough to be in a hospital with any kind of tube – whether it’s a catheter, breathing tube, or feeding tube – congratulations, you’ve made the fungus’s VIP list. The CDC helpfully notes that patients who are already sick are at highest risk, which is a bit like saying people in the ocean are at highest risk of drowning. The fungus primarily targets those already battling serious health conditions, making it a deadly one-two punch for vulnerable patients who thought they were in a healthcare facility to get better, not pick up a potentially fatal secondary infection.
Hospitals are supposedly implementing screening and isolation procedures, but given the exponential increase in cases, these measures are clearly about as effective as a screen door on a submarine.
The CDC emphasizes “the need for continued surveillance, expanded lab capacity, quicker diagnostic tests, and adherence to infection prevention and control” – bureaucrats speak for “we don’t really have a handle on this yet, but we’re working on it.” Meanwhile, patients continue to be exposed to this deadly fungus in the very places they go seeking help.
According to Stuart Cohen: “Most of the patients that get infections with Candida auris are themselves pretty sick to start with. This is something that can push people over the edge and become life-threatening.”
The Ultimate Government Solution: More Lists and Guidelines
The CDC’s solution to this crisis? Lists. Yes, you read that correctly. They’ve created “List P” of EPA-registered disinfectants effective against C. auris. If those aren’t available, try “List K” products effective against C. difficile. And if you’re really desperate, perhaps try “List J” through “List O” while you’re at it. This alphabet soup approach to infection control would be laughable if people weren’t dying. But don’t worry – they’re also recommending “no-touch” disinfection devices like UV irradiation, which they admit are “not fully understood” in terms of effectiveness against C. auris.
“The goal is, first and foremost, to keep the people in your hospital safe. When somebody comes in for a procedure, they’re not expecting to go home with a life-threatening illness or having spent time in an ICU from a hospital infection”, Cohen concludes.
Perhaps the most absurd aspect of this entire situation is that our multi-billion-dollar healthcare system – the most expensive in the world – is currently being outwitted by a fungus. We can perform heart transplants, create mRNA vaccines in record time (for better or worse), and send robots to Mars, but apparently killing a stubborn yeast is beyond our capabilities.
While Americans struggle with skyrocketing healthcare costs and insurance premiums, they now have the added bonus of worrying whether their hospital stay might introduce them to a deadly fungal infection that even the hospital can’t effectively combat. But don’t worry – the CDC is on it with more guidelines, more surveillance, and undoubtedly, more taxpayer funding requests coming soon to a Congress near you.
