When you hear a drug-resistant thing coming through your state, most anybody is concerned, and Texas is now facing a drug-resistant fungal infection.

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Candida auris

The Centers for Disease Control describes it as:

Candida auris (C. auris) is a type of yeast that can cause severe illness and spreads easily among patients in healthcare facilities. It is often resistant to antifungal treatments, which means that the medications that are designed to kill the fungus and stop infections do not work.

Two things you never want to hear are yeast and severe illness.  The concerning thing about this fungus is medications are not working when it comes to killing it.

Symptoms of Candida auris: there isn't a common set of systems.  They can be similar to a bacterial infection.

Texas has seen at least 160 cases of Candida auris

Nevada currently has the highest number of cases at 384, followed by California at 359.

Candida auris can be carried on the skin even if you don't get sick or get an infection. This is known as colonization.  A person who has this on their skin can still transmit it onto different surfaces or objects.  Healthcare workers prevent the spread by separating the patient from those that are at risk and cleaning the rooms with special disinfectants, wearing gloves and gowns while treating the infected patients.

If you are healthy the threat of this disease is low.  If you are visiting someone who is fighting Candida auris, it is recommended to wash hands or sanitize them before entering and leaving the room.   Those that are at threat are those with severe medical conditions that require complex care.  Those with medical devices like breathing or feeding tubs, and urinary or vein catheters are at a higher risk.