CDC’s Candida auris Warning and Infection Control Resources in Puerto Rico

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a warning in March about Candida auris, an emerging fungus considered an urgent antimicrobial resistance (AR) threat. The agency announced the pathogen spread at an alarming rate in U.S. healthcare facilities in 2020-2021.

CDC reported:
In general, C. auris is not a threat to healthy people. People who are very sick, have invasive medical devices, or have long or frequent stays in healthcare facilities are at increased risk for acquiring C. auris. CDC has deemed C. auris as an urgent AR threat, because it is often resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, spreads easily in healthcare facilities, and can cause severe infections with high death rates.

The first clinical cases of C. auris in the United States were reported in 2016. Since then, CDC cautions that C. auris case counts have increased for many reasons, including poor general infection prevention and control practices in healthcare facilities.

“Candida auris thrives on skin and can easily contaminate patient rooms, surfaces and medical equipment, leading to new infections in some hospitalized patients with weakened immune systems,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “To support infection control programs in Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean, the infection control and indoor environmental quality professionals at Zimmetry offer testing, monitoring, training and consulting services to identify and mitigate exposure risks to fungi, bacteria and viruses. These services can help to verify that cleaning and disinfection protocols are working effectively to protect patients, staff and control medical costs. They can also be essential for pinpointing the source of an outbreak if one has already occurred.”

Last year, Zimmetry sponsored an educational video about C. auris that can still be seen at: https://youtu.be/JGpL7VmKezg

To learn more about infection control or indoor environmental quality services and resources, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .

About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies. The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America. The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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