The World Health Organization issued a statement on the 22nd, saying that due to the reporting of cholera cases in many countries, the geographical expansion of the epidemic, and the lack of vaccines and other response resources, the agency assessed that the current global cholera risk is at a very high level.
At the same time, on March 20, local time, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that Candida auris is spreading at an "alarming rate" and has now spread throughout more than half of the states in the United States, becoming an urgent public health threat.
As of March 20
Cases of cholera have been reported in 24 countries worldwide
WHO said in a statement that four more countries worldwide have reported cholera cases compared to data on global cholera outbreaks released on 11 February this year. As of 20 March, cholera cases have been reported in 24 countries worldwide, mainly in Africa and the Middle East.
The statement noted that since the beginning of 2023, the cholera outbreak has spread further in southeast Africa. Cholera outbreaks in Malawi and Mozambique are widespread and remain very active. Affected by the heavy rainfall brought by Tropical Cyclone Freddie, the cholera outbreak in both countries may worsen and is worrying. Other countries with cholera outbreaks this year include Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
According to WHO, the global capacity to respond to multiple and simultaneous cholera outbreaks is limited due to a lack of oral cholera vaccines and resources such as public health and medical personnel.
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This rare fungus is in the United States
Spread at "breakneck speed"
At the same time, the rapid spread of Candida auris has also caused a high degree of vigilance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On March 20, local time, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released information that Candida auris is spreading at an "alarming rate" and becoming an urgent public health threat.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a communiqué saying that the number of Candida auris infections in the United States continues to rise every year, with 2020 to 2021 spreading at an "alarming rate" in health care facilities and has now spread throughout more than half of the states in the United States.
Nearly 50 percent of patients infected with Candida auris are said to die within 90 days, and an estimated 30 to 70 percent of infected hospitalized patients eventually die.
According to the CDC, Candida auris does not pose a threat to healthy people, but people who are seriously ill, treated with invasive medical devices, and hospitalized in health care facilities for a long time or frequently have an increased risk of infection. The main threat group of Candida auris is the elderly with weakened immune systems, is highly contagious and resistant to common antifungal drugs, and is easily transmitted in hospitals and elderly care facilities, which can lead to death in severely ill patients.
At present, there is a lack of specific therapeutic drugs. It can cause serious invasive infections, including bloodstream infections, wound infections, and ear infections.
Walid Javed, an epidemiologist in New York, said the new findings were "worrying" because infections usually occur in seriously ill patients with health problems, the main task is to prevent the spread of the fungus to patients in hospital intensive care units, but unfortunately, such fungi have an extreme ability to survive and reproduce.
Comprehensive: Xinhua News Agency, CCTV News Client
Source: Guangzhou Daily