CDC Says Deadly Fungal Infection Spreading Across New York, Other States

What may sound like something out of HBO's hit series The Last of Us, is actually a rare, but potentially fatal and drug-resistant fungus that has been spreading across the country at an alarming rate. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, New York has the nation's fourth-highest number of infections since December 31, 2022.

While this fungal infection definitely won't leave you in the same state as the inhuman Cordyceps (or Clickers) from the TV show, doctors say one-third of the people who get sick from it end up dying.

Fungal Infection Found in Patients in New York

NBC says this type of fungal infection is known as Candida auris, or C. auris, and can cause "severe illness in people with weakened immune systems". NBC says the first cases in the U.S. were first reported back in 2016, and since then, the number of cases has been rising at what the CDC says is an "alarming rate".

The CDC says that In the United States, most cases of C. auris result from local spread within and among healthcare facilities in the same city or state. The report says that the fungus can be found on the skin and throughout the body. While it's not a threat to healthy people, the CDC's numbers indicate about one-third of people who become sick with C. auris die.

Cases of Candida auris in New York State

The report from the CDC says that numbers continue to rise through the years, as New York state has seen 326 C. auris infections as of the end of 2022.

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But while one epidemiologist and director of infection prevention and control at Mount Sinai Downtown calls the statistics "worrisome," he tells NBC that young and healthy people probably don't have too much to fear for now. The doctor told the press that those most susceptible are those with "invasive medical devices, such as catheters or breathing and feeding tubes."