CDC: 12 cases of ‘rapidly spreading fungus’ in Georgia

(WRBL) — Georgia is seeing a dozen fungus cases that pose “an urgent antimicrobial resistance threat,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC says Candida auris, also known as C. auris, may pose a risk to those who are “very sick, have invasive medical devices, or have long or frequent stays in healthcare facilities.” C. auris is generally not a threat to healthy people, the CDC states.

According to the Center, the fungus is an antimicrobial resistance threat due to its drug-resistant nature, along with its ability to spread easily in healthcare facilities and “cause severe infections with high death rates.”

The center says the fungus was first detected in the U.S. in 2016, although it began to “spread at an alarming rate” in healthcare facilities between 2020 and 2021.

The CDC website Georgia is facing 12 cases. None have been confirmed in South Carolina.

Officials say more than 8,000 cases of the fungus were found across 28 states and D.C. by the end of 2022.

A chart of case numbers by state can be found below:

More information can be found on the CDC website.