Health officials are raising the alarm over a deadly fungus described as similar to ‘having cancer’ that is surging in US hospitals.

Candida Auris, a type of yeast resistant to most treatments, was first detected in hospitals in 2016, with 52 infections reported across four states.

But cases have doubled every year since, with 4,514 infections across the country detected in 2023 — the latest date available — and the disease has spread to 38 states. 

The CDC declared it an ‘urgent threat’ in 2023, but now — causing further alarm — cases are rising quickly in hospitals in Georgia and Florida.

The fungus can colonize the skin of individuals in hospitals and contaminated surfaces and medical equipment, where it is difficult to remove as it is resistant to most disinfectants.

It can then be transferred to sick people via physical contact, where it may enter the body through cuts or devices such as those for a breathing tube or a catheter.

This can cause a serious infection if the fungus spreads to infect the blood. About one in three people who contract C. Auris die from the infection.

Those who have prolonged stays in the hospital or need invasive medical devices are particularly at risk of infection, doctors warn.

The above graph shows the number of cases of C. Auris recorded in the US every year since 2016, when it was first detected. The fungus is a problem in hospitals, where it can infect very sick patients

Warning signs of the infection include a fever and chills that persist after treatment with antibiotics for a suspected bacterial infection. There may also be redness, warmth and pus at the site of infected wounds.

In serious cases, the fungus causes an infection in the bloodstream and vital organs that can be life-threatening.

It is resistant to many standard disinfectants and cleaning products used in hospitals, as well as antifungal drugs, making it extremely difficult to treat.

Dr Timothy Connelly, at Memorial Health in Savannah, Georgia, told WJCL that being infected with the disease is similar to having cancer.

‘The fungus will just keep getting bigger and bigger, obstruct certain parts of the lungs, and can cause secondary pneumonia. Eventually, it can go on to kill people,’ he said.

Warning over the rise in cases in Georgia, he said hospitals were now using ‘List P’ disinfectants, those specifically designed to kill the fungus, to clean hospital units.

‘Candida Auris is a type of fungus similar to Candida Albicans, which is what is common in yeast infections,’ he added.

‘The difference between Candida Auris is it’s an invasive fungus, and a lot of the common medicines that we use, like Diflucan, don’t work for it.

‘And then the second line medicines, like Micafungin, in 10 percent of cases, that doesn’t work for it.’

Both Diflucan and Micafungin are antifungal medications used in hospitals.

C Auris is resistant to many antifungals and disinfectants commonly used in the hospital

A study published this month has also warned over the surge in infections in Florida.

Accessing data from a major health system, scientists at Jackson Health System — which sees about 120,000 patients every year — warned cases had surged more than 2,000 percent in half a decade.

There were just five infections diagnosed in the system in 2019, they said, but that number quickly ballooned to 115 cases in 2023.

Overall, they found blood cultures were the most common source of infections, although there was a large increase from 2022 of infections of the fungus in soft tissue. 

Concluding the study, the team said: ‘The volumes of clinical cultures with C. Auris have rapidly increased, accompanied by an expansion in the sources of infection.’

Overall, 10,788 infections with the fungus have been detected between 2016 and 2023 in 38 states.

New York has reported the most infections ever, at 1,795 cases, between 2016 and 2023, followed by Illinois, at 1,627, and California, at 1,566.

In 2023, California recorded the most infections — 642 cases — with Nevada second — with 599 cases — and Florida third — at 568 cases. In 2023, Utah and West Virginia recorded their first ever cases of the fungus.

Only 12 states have not detected the fungus to date: Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Alaska.