MSDH reports deadly fungus found in central Mississippi care facility

MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – The Mississippi State Department of Health is reporting a deadly fungus has been found at a central Mississippi long-term care facility.

Candida Auris (C. Auris) primarily affects people already being treated for serious or chronic health conditions.

The fungal infection is most often seen in hospitals or long-term care facilities.

It is resistant to many antifungal drugs and has a high mortality rate. Two people in Mississippi have died.

University of Mississippi Medical Center officials said seven patients have been treated there for the infection. Three of those seven remain hospitalized.

The fungus can spread easily on surfaces and person-to-person.

State health leaders called this a serious and developing situation but did not identify the facility involved in the outbreak.

However, they declined to say how many facilities the fungus had been identified in or what reporting methods to the state are being used.

They did tell WCBI that isolation and contact tracing are the methods for identifying and preventing the disease.

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