Candida auris, Marburg Virus Outbreak, and Your Invitation to the Community Health Fair
Three Things Thursday
Three Things Thursday highlights three things I am paying attention to as an epidemiologist each week.
Once again this week, I am taking a break from COVID news. But if you are wondering, COVID cases are down by 32%, hospitalizations by 14%, and deaths by 20%. The XBB.1.5 subvariant continues as the predominant form (~90%) of COVID spreading. Additionally, seasonal influenza activity remains low nationally.
This week’s Three Things Thursday focuses on an increase in Candida auris in U.S. healthcare facilities, an outbreak of Marburg virus in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea, and your invitation to the Community Health Fair in Meadville on April 1st.
Hoping these posts help to educate and empower you
to be healthy and create healthy communities.
Candida auris Cases Increase Significantly
New public health surveillance data — published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine — show that cases of Candida auris, a multi-drug resistant yeast, rose by 95% in 2021. All cases were contracted and diagnosed in a hospital. To date, there has NOT been any community spread of C. auris. This infection is hospital-acquired.
A total of 1471 cases were diagnosed in 2021.
Discovered in Japan in 2009, C. auris showed up in the United States in 2016. Initially, cases were found primarily in New York and New Jersey. Currently, cases have been diagnosed in 27 states.
The new spike in cases has been all over the news. I talked about it yesterday on Erie News Now.
It is important to note that this infection is RARE.
The news/warnings being issued are primarily for healthcare facilities. Since this yeast is resistant to several antifungal medications, healthcare facilities need to prioritize screening for the infection and prevention.
The general public does not need to worry about an epidemic of C. auris.
Marburg Virus Outbreak
Cases of Marburg virus disease — a viral hemorrhagic fever that is a cousin of Ebola virus disease — are increasing in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea. To date, eight cases of Marburg virus have been diagnosed in Tanzania. Five of them have died.
Marburg virus disease is transmitted to people from fruit bats. Once infected, an individual can transmit the disease to another human through contact with infected bodily fluids. The case fatality — the proportion of individuals with a disease who die from that disease — is 88% for Marburg.
There is no treatment or approved vaccine.
The WHO is, however, hoping to fast-track clinical trials for a Marburg vaccine during the current outbreak. Yesterday, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated —
“WHO is leading an effort to evaluate candidate vaccines and therapeutics in the context of the outbreak. The developers are on board, the clinical trial protocols are ready. The experts and donors are ready. Once the national government and the researchers give the green light.”
You Are Invited…
Next week we will be hosting a community health fair (in-person!!) in my hometown of Meadville, PA. And for those of you who are local, you are personally invited. And I really hope you will attend.
Please follow me on Instagram and Facebook for updates and all the exciting news related to the Health Fair.
Questions? or topics you want to see covered?
And be sure to share this post and invite all your family and friends to the Community Health Fair.