Doctor lays out the facts surrounding new multi-drug resistant superbug

One person in Connecticut and over 300 hundred in New York and New Jersey have come down with multi-drug resistant superbug Candida auris.

News 12 Staff

Apr 29, 2019, 11:24 PM

Updated 1,820 days ago

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One person in Connecticut and over 300 hundred in New York and New Jersey have come down with multi-drug resistant superbug Candida auris.
Dr. Michael Parry, director of infectious diseases at Stamford Hospital, says most people could be carrying the germ on their hands or in their intestines but will never even know.
He says it becomes a supergerm in the right setting. 
"Candida auris seems to be more prevalent in the hospital setting, and that may just be because that's where we are looking for it. We know that once Candida auris gets in to a hospital it seems to live on surfaces and in the environment of the hospital," he says. 
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common symptoms of invasive Candida infection are fever and chills that don't improve after antibiotics. 
Dr. Parry says Candida auris can cause a potentially deadly infection when it gets into the blood stream of patients who have other underlying health issues. 
The CDC says it's imperative doctors identify the infection quickly so health care facilities can take precautions to stop its spread. 
Dr. Parry says simply using Purell machines and washing hands can keep the germs from spreading. He says if a patient comes down with the superbug, it is treatable with a resistant antifungal drug.


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