Drug-Resistant Fungus Spreading in U.S., Warns Physicians Group

Over the past several years, anew strain of yeast infection,Candida auris, has been emerging in the United States, primarily in hospitalized patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This strain, resistant to antifungal medications, apparently first arrived in the U.S. only a few years ago. It is related to strains fromSouth AsiaorSouth America.

The CDC press release was embargoed untilNov 4, the Friday before an election in which immigration is a major issue, notesElizabeth Lee Vliet, M.D., a specialist in preventive medicine and a former director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). Nevertheless, CDC highlights the "need for urgent, coordinated federal, state, local, and international public health response."

Enhanced awareness is needed because "identifyingC. auris requires specialized laboratory methods," CDC continues. It can easily be misidentified as another type ofCandida infection, in which case patients may not receive appropriate treatment. In fact, most of the patient samples in the current report were initially misidentified.

"Mass migration, legal or illegal, inevitably carries infectious disease risks. That was the reason immigrants were previously quarantined and carefully examined onEllis Islandbefore being admitted to the U.S.," Dr. Vliet said.

"Why the delay of years in publicizing this new threat, and the need forurgentaction?" Dr. Vliet asks. "Are officials more interested in supporting this Administration's open-door immigration and rapid resettlement policy than in protecting Americans' health?"

TheAssociation of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)is a national organization representing physicians in virtually all specialties and every state. Founded in 1943, AAPS has the motto "omnia pro aegroto," which means "all for the patient."

Drug-Resistant Fungus Spreading in U.S., Warns Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS)

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