Deadly Fungal Infection Is Spreading Rapidly, CDC Says—These Are the Risk Factors

In a world still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, few things are more unsettling than reports of a rapidly spreading new health concern. Yet on Monday, Mar. 20, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a startling warning about Candida auris (C. auris), a deadly fungal infection that's on the rise.

Citing a new paper published in the medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine as cause for concern, the health authority reported that clinical cases of C. auris have increased consistently over the past several years. From 2019 to 2021, experts saw an especially dramatic uptick, with cases increasing from 476 in 2019 to 1,471 during that period.

The CDC warns that C. auris "can cause severe infections with high death rates," but says certain people are at disproportionate risk. Read on to learn which factors could be putting you in danger—and why experts say the general public shouldn't panic just yet.

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