Candida Auris Outbreak in a COVID-19 Specialty Care Unit — Florida, July–August 2020

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
• Personal Author:
  Anderson, Erica ; de Perio, Marie A. ; Dotson, Nychie Q. ; Edwards, Kendra ; Forsberg, Kaitlin ; Kuhar, David T. ; Lyman, Meghan ; Prestel, Christopher ; Rivera, Maria ; Shugart, Alicia ; Walters, Mayora
• Description:
  In July 2020, the Florida Department of Health was alerted to three Candida auris bloodstream infections and one urinary tract infection in four patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who received care in the same dedicated COVID-19 unit of an acute care hospital (hospital A). C. auris is a multidrug-resistant yeast that can cause invasive infection. Its ability to colonize patients asymptomatically and persist on surfaces has contributed to previous C. auris outbreaks in health care settings. Since the first C. auris case was identified in Florida in 2017, aggressive measures have been implemented to limit spread, including contact tracing and screening upon detection of a new case. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital A conducted admission screening for C. auris and admitted colonized patients to a separate dedicated ward. ... The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted facilities to implement PPE conservation strategies during anticipated or existing shortages and to use PPE in ways that are not routine (e.g., extended wear and reuse). Some health care facilities not experiencing shortages allow extra PPE layers because of the perception of increased protection for HCP. CDC does not recommend the use of more than one isolation gown or pair of gloves at a time when providing care to patients with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Such practices among HCP might be motivated by fear of becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 but instead might increase risks for self-contamination when doffing and for transmission of other pathogens among patients and exacerbate PPE supply shortages. When managing SARS-CoV-2 patients in a dedicated ward, HCP should maintain standard practices (e.g., hand hygiene at indicated times and recommended cleaning and disinfection) intended to prevent transmission of other pathogens. Outbreaks such as that described in this report highlight the importance of adhering to recommended infection control and PPE practices and continuing surveillance for novel pathogens like C. auris. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Candidiasis Communicable Diseases Coronavirus COVID-19 Demography Disinfectants Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Infection Control Occupational Health Pandemics Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Public Health Risk Assessment Safety

  More +
• Keywords:
  Public health; Humans; Medical screening; Fungal infections; Yeasts; Infectious agents; Disease incidence; Coronavirus; COVID-19; Demographic characteristics; Clinical symptoms; Multidrug resistant organisms; MDROs; Medical facilities; Health care facilities; Infection control; Surveillance; Disease control; Personal protective equipment; PPE; SARS-CoV-2; Protective clothing; Protective measures; Gloves; Isolation; Risk management; Safety measures; Safety practices; Hand washing; Disinfectants; Pathogens; Recommendations; Work practices
• Source:
  MMWR 2021 Jan; 70(2):56-57
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3 pdf pages
• Volume:
  70
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061834
• Contact Point Address:
  Christopher Prestel, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, GA
• Email:
  okn0@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b672969f8ae55729ffdb404e04bf9def000f11362c7a26bb79f1ac0173897119c9aded4f0530ab4221c4ae71c56850e5b3d4f46568a26a28eb3069f21af04e75
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/100156/cdc_100156_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 106.74 KB ]