The shortage of medical equipment, including gowns and gloves, caused by the coronavirus outbreak may be helping to spread dangerous germs within health care facilities, according to officials who warned of a life-threatening fungus at a county health care facility. The Angels.
Los Angeles County officials are warning of multiple reports of the fungus, known as Candida auris, in sanitary facilities; There is also an increase in reports of the fungus in Orange County.
At least one outbreak has been identified at a facility in Los Angeles County, according to a notice for healthcare professionals issued by the Department of Public Health.
C. auris It is a fungus that was first identified in 2009 in Japan, but has since been declared by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a “serious threat to global health.” Yeast “can cause bloodstream infections and even death, particularly in hospital and nursing home patients with serious medical problems,” the CDC said, noting that the fungus causes death in more than 1 in 3 patients who have an invasive infection, such as one that affects the blood, heart, or brain.
C. auris It is considered particularly dangerous because antifungal medications are often ineffective against it. The fungus can live on surfaces for several weeks and can spread through hospitals and nursing homes by contact with infected people and contaminated surfaces and equipment.
The fungus can survive many commonly used disinfectants, county officials said.
“If a patient is positive for more than one organism, be sure to use a hospital-grade disinfectant registered by the Environmental Protection Agency that is effective against all organisms for which the patient is positive. Check the label, ”said health officials.
The fungus has been found not only in the bloodstream, but also in patients’ urine, airways, wounds, and ear canals.
“People who become invasive Candida infections are often already sick from other medical conditions, so it can be difficult to tell if you have a C. auris infection, “according to the CDC.
In Los Angeles County, officials urged health centers not to reuse gloves and gowns among patients who may be infected with multi-drug resistant germs or COVID-19.
