Southern Nevadan hospitals treated a record number of Candida auris fungal infections last month, according to recently released state data.
The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health reported 202 Candida auris cases in Nevada healthcare facilities in January.
Sixty-nine of those cases were clinical, meaning those patients had symptoms of the illness. The others showed no sign of the disease but were still infected with colonies of the treatment-resistant fungus.
January’s case count is the highest recorded in the state since the fungal infection appeared in late 2021. Infections have increased by 24% since October.
C. auris is not a threat to healthy people but may pose a problem for those with severe underlying medical conditions that need complex medical care.
Officials say January’s record numbers could also be the result of new mandatory reporting requirements for local healthcare facilities.
