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Candida Auris Spreading In Chicago-Area Health Care Facilities

A potentially deadly fungus is spreading in Chicago-area healthcare facilities.


By  Max Green and Alyssa Edes
   
SHARE Candida Auris Spreading In Chicago-Area Health Care Facilities
Candida auris

This undated photo made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a strain of Candida auris cultured in a petri dish at a CDC laboratory.

Shawn Lockhart/CDC via AP

A potentially deadly fungus is spreading in Chicago-area health care facilities.

Illinois health officials say they’ve confirmed 154 cases of a bug called Candida auris.

Officials say the vast majority of Illinois cases are responsive to drugs, but experts are worried the infection could become more resistant to treatment.

WBEZ’s Melba Lara spoke with Dr. Laurie Proia, an infectious disease specialist at Rush University Medical Center, and asked her to talk about how concerned the general public should be about this outbreak.

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