Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers: Drug-Resistant Fungus
June 1, 2017
According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), a potentially deadly superbug fungus has reared its ugly head at a number of U.S. hospitals on the east coast. This organism can be spread from patient to patient, as well as via environmental surfaces. It is often difficult to identify, which makes it particularly dangerous, as a misdiagnosis can allow the infection to progress. Cases are currently being closely monitored in an effort to ensure that officials take the appropriate infection control measures.
The fungus in question is a yeast known as Candida auris. The first known case was discovered in Japan, when the rare fungus was found in a man’s ear. Since then, there have been cases in reported in the U.S. Symptoms of the infection include difficulty swallowing and a burning sensation. Even when it has been properly diagnosed, this superbug fungus tends to be resistant to the drugs that are commonly used to treat fungal infections. Therefore, doctors find that it can be difficult to treat.
Importance of Diagnosing and Tracking Infected Patients
According to an infectious disease specialist at the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey, the Candida auris organism is unique because it has the ability to remain on the surface of the skin for up to several months after the infection has been treated and cured. During this time, other people can become infected, which is why it is crucial to diagnose the infection in a timely manner, and track the patients to make sure the appropriate infection control protocols are being followed.
Patients whose immune systems are already compromised are particularly vulnerable to this, as well as any other type of infection. Health officials say that all the patients who tested positive for the infection were already battling other illnesses, so their immune system could not fight off the infection. For patients with the Candida auris infection, the CDC recommends that they be isolated and that their rooms should be cleaned after they no longer occupy the room using powerful cleansers that can kill Clostridium difficile, another drug-resistant superbug.
According to the acting director of the CDC, Candid auris poses a serious public health threat, similar to the Ebola and SARS viruses. Healthcare providers and public health officials must focus more attention on infection control or the outcome could be catastrophic.
Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton Represent Patients with Drug-Resistant Fungal Infections Acquired in Hospitals
If you have become seriously ill with a drug-resistant superbug fungal infection during a hospital stay, you are urged to contact the highly skilled Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton as soon as possible. If the hospital where you were treated did not follow the proper infection control guidelines, causing you to become infected with a potentially fatal superbug, we will fight to ensure that you receive the maximum financial compensation you deserve. To schedule a free consultation, call us today at 800-547-4LAW (4529) or contact us online.
Our offices are located in Baltimore, Columbia, Glen Burnie, and Towson, allowing us to represent medical malpractice victims in Maryland, including those in Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, Harford County, Howard County, Montgomery County, Maryland’s Western Counties, Southern Maryland, and the Eastern Shore, as well as the communities of Catonsville, Essex, Halethorpe, Middle River, Rosedale, Gwynn Oak, Brooklandville, Dundalk, Pikesville, Nottingham, Windsor Mill, Lutherville, Timonium, Sparrows Point, Ridgewood, and Elkridge.
