Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: It’s all one thing
Next Post: “Raoul alleged that Purdue’s tactics tripled prescriptions of its opioids in Illinois”
Posted in:
* 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.
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.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 9, 19 @ 10:12 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: It’s all one thing
Next Post: “Raoul alleged that Purdue’s tactics tripled prescriptions of its opioids in Illinois”
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
Serious stuff indeed
I’ll never forget my Chaplain residency at Barnes a decade ago.
We had a required week long class
on Infection Control
Cripes
It’s scary stuff
and
so hard to indeed control.
Not good at all
with
Health departments
Hollowed out
But hey, at least the IT contracts got paid on time right?
Comment by Honeybear Tuesday, Apr 9, 19 @ 10:53 am
You’re right Rich the article is short on details. But the public health and policy issue is that hospitals and long term care facilities don’t have to publicly report any of these deadly outbreaks.
Hospitals should be more transparent
Comment by Siriusly Tuesday, Apr 9, 19 @ 10:57 am
Canary in the coal mine? Other diseases are developing resistance to antibiotics and antifungal treatments.
Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Tuesday, Apr 9, 19 @ 11:00 am
My dad had medical training just before penicillin was used. In the 1960’s he was appalled by the cavalier attitude of doctors who thought infections could be controlled by antibiotics. Practice is being forced back to 1930 attitudes where any infection can be lethal.
Public health laws may need to strengthen the ability to quarantine individuals with infectious diseases that are hard or impossible to treat. We can harm some people now through quarantine or watch many die later.
Comment by Last Bull Moose Tuesday, Apr 9, 19 @ 11:12 am
so many details required. what happens when you visit a loved one in one of these situations? are you told about exposure? are you given protective measures? this is a public health crisis. gee, wish there was a leader of the country who could alert the public on emergencies and help to deal with emergencies……
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Apr 9, 19 @ 11:12 am
after reading that Tribune article on the topic, I googled anti fungal and agriculture. this piece scared me more than ever. watch your yogurt. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29127020
Comment by Amalia Tuesday, Apr 9, 19 @ 11:25 am
I don’t get why the state can’t publish a list of which hospitals have cases? They clearly know.
Comment by Red Skeptic Tuesday, Apr 9, 19 @ 2:47 pm
Much information is kept under wraps due to HIPAA laws and probably to starve off any public panic. Many super bugs are circulating in Illinois; candida auris, B.cepacia, flu, and many upper respiratory illnesses. Over use of antibiotics in livestock and humans, in addition to all the bacteria and toxins in our water and air, just seem to add to the super bug mutations.
Comment by Enviro Tuesday, Apr 9, 19 @ 4:28 pm
The CDC has rules in place that prohibit disclosing the locations of the hospitals that have these issues which is a major concern. If a big proportion of people have this and are at facility A I would go to facility B. I know this is what they are trying to prevent and impact revenue… but we’re talking about lives. People at high risk should be notified in advance - even if under NDA.
Comment by Anon Wednesday, Apr 10, 19 @ 9:35 am