Hospitals and nursing homes across California are dealing with a candida auris breakout, a potentially deadly fungal infection that resists most available treatments. Over 1,500 people statewide have caught it this year. Only Nevada has logged more cases, federal health officials say.
For some West Hollywood residents, these numbers should catch their attention. About 2,500 city residents live with HIV—14 times higher than the Los Angeles County average. Those residents face heightened danger from Candida auris, a fungus the CDC calls an urgent public health threat.
So far this year, roughly 7,000 Americans in 27 states have gotten infected. That nearly matches 2024’s record total of 7,500-plus cases. Right now, 12 states are battling active outbreaks. California and Arizona both made that list. The count is current through Jan. 20.
Los Angeles County takes this seriously. Doctors and hospitals have to report suspected or confirmed cases within 24 hours to the public health department. Research done in the county shows between 30% and 60% of infected patients die. Most had other serious illnesses when they got infected.
The deadly fungus bounced back after the pandemic started. Since last November, hospitals and care centers across Northern and Central California have been fighting non-stop transmission.
To be clear, most people are not at much risk if you’re visiting someone or working in healthcare. The fungus likes to target people who are already sick and in hospitals, nursing homes, or long-term care facilities.
Why West Hollywood’s Demographics Matter
The city’s HIV numbers are just part of the story. Seniors account for about 15% of West Hollywood’s population. Another 13% of households are older residents living by themselves.
Having HIV can make fighting off Candida auris much harder. Older adults run similar risks.
Again, stopping by to see someone in a healthcare facility won’t get you infected. Healthy people don’t easily catch this through regular patient contact. Checking on your mom or your friend at the hospital? Most are safe. If you’re immunocompromised or older, then you should take special note to avoid catching or spreading the deadly fungus.
Recognizing the Signs
Plenty of infected people never feel sick. When symptoms do appear, Cleveland Clinic doctors say watch for:
- Ear infections
- Infected wounds
- Urinary tract infections
- Bloodstream infections spreading through the body
Here’s the problem that deserves attention: The fungus can colonize your skin without making you sick. You feel fine. But then you touch something in a hospital room. You’ve just deposited it there for the patient—maybe someone too weak to fight back.
Who Faces the Biggest Risk?
If you’re already seriously ill that’s not good. Ventilator patients face terrible odds. Again, same goes for anyone with a weakened immune system. Long hospital stays increase your risk, especially in ICUs and long-term acute care hospitals.
Researchers studied infected patients in Nevada and Florida last July. The results were brutal. More than half landed in intensive care. Over a third needed machines to breathe for them. Blood transfusions kept more than half alive. Average age ran from early to mid-60s.
What Makes This Fungus So Hard to Beat?
The medical arsenal against Candida auris is pretty bare. Antifungal medications mostly fail. The nastiest strains shrug off every available drug.
It also survives far longer than most pathogens. Catheters harbor it. Breathing tubes carry it. IV lines too. It lives on bed rails and blood pressure cuffs. Windowsills in patient rooms test positive weeks after discharge. Hospitals that get infested face brutal, prolonged fights to eliminate it.
Climate change might be making things worse. Human body temperature—98.6 degrees—normally kills most fungi. That’s our natural defense. But Arturo Casadevall, a Johns Hopkins microbiologist, says global warming is changing the game. Fungi are adapting to higher temperatures. Some now tolerate what he calls “the temperature barrier.” They can survive inside human bodies.
Stopping the Spread
For the general public, the best defense is basic hygiene when visiting healthcare facilities:
- Wash your hands thoroughly before and after hospital or nursing home visits
- Use hand sanitizer stations at facility entrances and exits
- Avoid touching your face during visits
- Don’t sit on patient beds or touch medical equipment
- Clean your hands again when you get to your car
If you’re immunocompromised or have HIV, talk to your doctor about extra precautions before any hospital visit or stay. Ask what screening protocols the facility has in place for Candida auris.
Inside hospitals and nursing homes, staff follow stricter protocols. The CDC recommends:
- Frequent hand washing by healthcare workers using alcohol-based sanitizer
- Isolating infected patients from others
- Constant disinfection of patient rooms
- Required gloves and gowns for staff treating infected patients
- Hand cleaning stations for visitors using soap and water or sanitizer
Where the Fungus Has Spread
Active outbreaks are underway in 12 states right now (as of Jan. 20): Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Cases have popped up in 15 other states too: Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Worried about exposure? Los Angeles County residents can reach the Acute Communicable Disease Control office at 888-397-3993 or 213-240-7821 during business hours. Healthcare providers should fax reports to 888-397-3778 or 213-482-5508.
The CDC’s assessment is pretty clear: If you’re healthy, you’ll probably shake off the infection without issue. But step inside a hospital or nursing home as a patient already fighting another illness? This fungus can be deadly.
