Superbug Sickens 319 New Yorkers, Schumer Says Declare Emergency

NEW YORK – A superbug that's now sickened more than 300 New Yorkers should be declared a public emergency, freeing up millions of dollars which could be used to fight it, Senator Chuck Schumer said.

Schumer, a Democrat who represents the state, wants the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to declare an emergency in the same way it did to tackle health crises like Zika and Ebola.

New York has had 319 confirmed cases of the antibiotic-resistant superbug "Candida auris," more than anywhere else in the country. Most were in the New York City area, the CDC said.

"We are here today to urge the Centers for Disease Control to deliver a whole bunch of resources that can help New York and other states kill this bug and stop its spread," Schumer said during a Sunday press conference.

Efforts to obtain comment from the CDC were not immediately successful.

Schumer said an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars is needed to help identify the threat and diagnose additional cases, tackle it through preventative efforts such as education and treat it without relying on antibiotics, since the disease has shown to be resistant to them.

Schumer said there is money in the federal budget to deal with the disease that could only be freed if an emergency is declared. It wouldn't be the first time the US government has had to take such a step, he said.

Schumer noted that $165 million was allocated toward dealing with the Ebola virus several years ago.

"With something as deadly as Candida auris, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," he said.

The CDC has called the fungus "a serious global health threat." It is difficult to identity and often does not respond to commonly used anti-fungal drugs, leading to high mortality, according to Rutgers University officials.

Based on information from a limited number of patients, the CDC says, 30–60 percent of people with C. auris infections have died. However, many of these people had other serious illnesses that also increased their risk of death.

"Most C. auris cases in the United States have been detected in the New York City area, New Jersey, and the Chicago area," according to the CDC.

“It’s acting like a superbug," Paige Armstrong, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer, has said. "Without appropriate infection control and really a rigorous response, [it] could lead to even more cases in the United States.”

Candida grows as yeast and symptoms include difficulty swallowing, burning, genital itching and sometimes a cheese-like discharge that looks white, according to the CDC.

In 2009, C. auris was first described in a patient in Japan. There is documented transmission of C. auris to US patients from healthcare facilities in India, Pakistan, South Africa and Venezuela, according to the CDC.

Fungal infections often cause serious disease among patients with compromised immune systems or other debilitating conditions resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Globally, nearly 1.4 million deaths a year are attributed to invasive fungal infections, which is on par with deadly diseases like tuberculosis, according to the CDC.

Here are ways to avoid contracting the disease:

• One of the best ways to prevent the spread of dangerous germs like C. auris in healthcare settings is good hand hygiene. Washing hands frequently can help prevent its spread.
• Early and accurate identification, rigorous infection control practices, and communication between facilities are key to reducing the spread in healthcare settings.
• Proper infection control involves consistent handwashing, use of personal protective equipment and cleaning and disinfection of medical equipment and the healthcare environment.
• When patients are transferred to other healthcare facilities, the receiving facilities should be notified of C. auris infection and the level of precautions recommended.

Reported by Tom Davis/Patch