* NBC 5…

A deadly fungus is spreading rapidly in Chicago and suburban health care facilities.

The Candida auris fungus effects mostly people with multiple underlying conditions. Illinois health officials report 154 cases — second only to New York. Of those Illinois cases, 95 are in Chicago, 63 in the suburbs, and three downstate.

The fungus is often resistant to drug treatment.

This is serious stuff, but some perspective is in order here. Those 154 cases were detected over a three-year period, May 24, 2016 through April 4, 2019.

* New York Times…

The germ has spread into long-term care facilities. In Chicago, 50 percent of the residents at some nursing homes have tested positive for it, the C.D.C. has reported. The fungus can grow on intravenous lines and ventilators.

Read that closely. It’s half of residents at some nursing homes. The NYT article doesn’t say how many. And the piece doesn’t say if the fungus had caused infections in the residents or was just found on their skin, which is far less of a problem.

Again, very serious stuff here, but some of these articles seem written to incite the most possible fear. That NBC 5 story was classic tabloid TV crud.

* It would also help if the government was more open about it…

Yet as the problem grows, it is little understood by the public — in part because the very existence of resistant infections is often cloaked in secrecy.

With bacteria and fungi alike, hospitals and local governments are reluctant to disclose outbreaks for fear of being seen as infection hubs. Even the C.D.C., under its agreement with states, is not allowed to make public the location or name of hospitals involved in outbreaks. State governments have in many cases declined to publicly share information beyond acknowledging that they have had cases.

The IDPH web page on the fungus lacks a lot of crucial information. How fast is it spreading, for instance?

* Also important to remember…

According to the CDC, symptoms of the fungus may be difficult to detect because patients are often already sick and only a lab test can identify the superbug. Candida auris can cause different types of infections, including bloodstream infection, wound infection, and ear infection.

People who recently had surgery, live in nursing homes, or who have breathing tubes, feeding tubes or central venous catheters appear to be at highest risk.

“Based on information from a limited number of patients, 30 – 60% of people with C. auris infections have died. However, many of these people had other serious illnesses that also increased their risk of death,” the CDC said.

* But the fungus is incredibly difficult to eradicate…

The man at Mount Sinai died after 90 days in the hospital, but C. auris did not. Tests showed it was everywhere in his room, so invasive that the hospital needed special cleaning equipment and had to rip out some of the ceiling and floor tiles to eradicate it.

* Again, some perspective…

Many cases of the disease in the U.S. have been resistant to at least one antifungal treatment, but health officials said the vast majority of cases in Illinois have responded to treatment. Ninety-five of the known cases in the state are in Chicago, 56 in suburban Cook County, seven in DuPage, Lake and Will counties, and three near St. Louis.