The Silent Invasion: Fungal Infections Sweeping Across US Hospitals

March 21, 2023 / esfein / Leave a comment

Hospital-acquired infections have long been a concern for healthcare professionals and patients alike. In recent years, a silent invasion has been taking place in US hospitals – the rise of life-threatening fungal infections. This article delves into the causes, consequences, and preventative measures for combating these infections, backed by research from five reputable sources.

The Fungal Foe: Candida auris

One of the most concerning fungal infections sweeping across US hospitals is Candida auris, a multidrug-resistant yeast [1]. Since its first identification in Japan in 2009, C. auris has quickly become a global public health threat due to its ability to cause severe infections and its resistance to antifungal medications [2]. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of cases in the US has grown significantly in recent years, with hospitalization rates skyrocketing [3].

Why are Fungal Infections on the Rise?

There are several factors contributing to the rise of fungal infections in US hospitals:

Overuse of antibiotics: Prolonged and inappropriate use of antibiotics can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can kill off beneficial bacteria, allowing fungi to thrive [4].
Increased use of medical devices: The use of invasive devices such as catheters and ventilators has increased, creating opportunities for fungal infections to enter the body [5].
Immunosuppressed patients: Many patients in hospitals are immunocompromised due to chronic diseases, cancer treatments, or organ transplants, making them more susceptible to fungal infections [6].
Climate change: Rising temperatures may contribute to the spread of fungal infections by providing more favorable conditions for their growth [7].

Combating the Fungal Threat

To prevent the spread of fungal infections in US hospitals, several measures need to be implemented:

Infection control practices: Strict adherence to hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, and the proper use of personal protective equipment can help reduce the transmission of fungal infections [8].
Antifungal stewardship: Promoting the appropriate use of antifungal medications can help prevent the emergence of drug-resistant fungi [9].
Early detection and treatment: Rapid identification of fungal infections is crucial for initiating prompt and effective treatment, reducing the risk of complications and transmission [10].
Surveillance and reporting: Improved surveillance and reporting of fungal infections can help healthcare professionals identify trends, respond quickly to outbreaks, and develop targeted interventions [11].
Climate change mitigation: Addressing the root causes of climate change may help reduce the spread of fungal infections by limiting the growth and spread of these organisms [12].

Conclusion

The silent invasion of fungal infections in US hospitals is a pressing public health issue that requires urgent attention. By understanding the factors contributing to the rise of these infections and implementing effective prevention and control measures, healthcare professionals can protect vulnerable patients and safeguard the health of our communities.

Source List

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020). Candida auris. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/candida-auris/index.html

[2] Lockhart, S. R., Etienne, K. A., Vallabhaneni, S., Farooqi, J., Chowdhary, A., Govender, N. P., … & Chiller, T. M. (2017). Simultaneous emergence of multidrug-resistant Candida auris on 3 continents confirmed by whole-genome sequencing and epidemiological analyses. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 64(2), 134-140. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/64/2/134/2732512

[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021). Tracking Candida auris. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/candida-auris/tracking-c-auris.html

[4] Casadevall, A., Kontoyiannis, D. P., & Robert, V. (2019). On the emergence of Candida auris: climate change, azoles, swamps, and birds. mBio, 10(4), e01397-19. Retrieved from https://mbio.asm.org/content/10/4/e01397-19

[5] Pemán, J., & Salavert, M. (2016). Invasive fungal infections in critically ill patients. Revista Española de Quimioterapia, 29(Suppl 1), 29-32. Retrieved from https://seq.es/seq/0214-3429/29/sup1/Peman.pdf

[6] Benedict, K., Jackson, B. R., Chiller, T., & Beer, K. D. (2019). Estimation of direct healthcare costs of fungal diseases in the United States. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 68(11), 1791-1797. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/68/11/1791/5094854

[7] García-Solache, M. A., & Casadevall, A. (2010). Global warming will bring new fungal diseases for mammals. mBio, 1(1), e00061-10. Retrieved from https://mbio.asm.org/content/1/1/e00061-10

[8] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2019). Infection prevention and control for Candida auris. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/candida-auris/c-auris-infection-control.html

[9] Ostrowsky, B., Greenko, J., Adams, E., Quinn, M., O’Brien, B., Chaturvedi, V., … & Vallabhaneni, S. (2020). Candida auris isolates resistant to three classes of antifungal medications—New York, 2019. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69 (1), 6-9. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6901a2.htm

[10] Kullberg, B. J., & Arendrup, M. C. (2015). Invasive Candidiasis. New England Journal of Medicine, 373(15), 1445-1456. Retrieved from https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1315399

[11] Buehrle, D. J., Shields, R. K., Clarke, L. G., Potoski, B. A., & Clancy, C. J. (2017). Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia: Risk factors for mortality and microbiologic treatment failure. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 61(1), e01243-16. Retrieved from https://aac.asm.org/content/61/1/e01243-16

[12] Watts, N., Adger, W. N., Agnolucci, P., Blackstock, J., Byass, P., Cai, W., … & Cox, P. M. (2015). Health and climate change: policy responses to protect public health. The Lancet, 386(10006), 1861-1914. Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60854-6/fulltext

Internment Camps, Ansel Adams Snaps and Fleeting Liberties

September 20, 2013 / esfein / Leave a comment

http://www.businessinsider.com/ansel-adams-internment-camp-photos-2013-8?op=1

“Rights for me, not for thee.”

The government habitually strips citizens of their rights whenever it suits them to do so. Currently, the Obama administration and the NSA have deemed that Americans are fair game when it comes to domestic surveillance, as we are certainly no longer

secure in [our] persons, houses, papers, and effects.

This is obviously not a new phenomenon. I find that people often forget, for example, that the Jim Crow laws in the South were indeed laws, not just social conventions. State and local governments codified the practice of segregation and indeed would punish businesses and organizations for daring to integrate—systematically disenfranchising blacks through legislative power.

The state will protect and respect individual rights as long as it suits their own interests. They have proven repeatedly that, when convenient, they will forget that the Bill of Rights even exists.

Related Article: The TSA’s Totalitarian Reign

In a famous and extremely disturbing example, the United States considered Japanese-Americans to be a threat to national security after the attack on Pearl Harbor. On February 19, 1942 FDR signed Executive Order 9066 which allowed the military to designate areas from which “any and all persons could be excluded.” As a result, over a hundred thousand American citizens with names like Richard Kobayashi and Catharine Yamaguchi were locked away in concentration camps. Without trial or cause, these people were forcefully removed from their homes and interned solely because of their ancestry.

In 1943 famed American photographer Ansel Adams, renowned for his stunning shots of the American west, visited the Manzanar camp in California. Disturbed by the ramifications of FDR’s “relocation” policy, he took some poignant and beautiful snaps of life in Manzanar that are distressing reminders of how fragile our rights and liberties really are.

Related Article: Another Casualty of the Paramilitary State

Here are farmers toiling in front of snowcapped mountains:

http://www.businessinsider.com/ansel-adams-internment-camp-photos-2013-8?op=1

How much more American can you get than playing football, fixing tractors, and holding town hall meetings?

http://www.businessinsider.com/ansel-adams-internment-camp-photos-2013-8?op=1

Even enlisted soldiers weren’t exempt from the camps.

Infants unknowingly took their first breaths there.

http://www.businessinsider.com/ansel-adams-internment-camp-photos-2013-8?op=1

The NSA’s extralegal invasions into our privacy should rightfully enrage every American. However, it should not be surprising to anyone with a pulse. The truth is simple and blunt: This is what governments do. Mendaciously, the state—dripping with patriotism and draped in red, white & blue—claims to protect the rights of Americans while simultaneously showing absolute disregard for their sanctity, and at best deigning to acknowledge their very existence. To politicians, civil liberties are mere talking points rather than the inalienable rights that this nation was founded upon.

Related Article: Team Red = Team Blue, The Syria Episode

Sadly, there really are no rights in this world. Most would agree that everyone has a right to food and shelter. How, then, are so many people starving and homeless? The Declaration of Independence champions the rights of life and liberty, however, both are so easily taken away. Our rights are better understood as glorious ideals, Vitruvian Men that we all need to aspire to achieve and maintain.

The problem now isn’t so much that governments are invading our privacy, as concerning and Orwellian as their encroachment is. That known entity is to be understood and expected. The most troublesome factor is the absolute apathetic ambivalence and—indeed!—endorsement of these policies from the American populace.

Related Article: War on Drugs Farce Continues Unabated

I am reminded of the famous poem attributed to Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for the socialists,

and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

The American citizenry is a frog being boiled slowly, and the rising heat gradually erodes their rights. When are they going to realize that when they’re the only ones left, no one will be there to speak for them?

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws

constitution.findlaw.com/amendment4/amendment.html

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=74&page=transcript

http://www.businessinsider.com/ansel-adams-internment-camp-photos-2013-8?op=1

http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/history/leonardo.html

The Drones Are Coming!

March 6, 2013 / esfein / 2 Comments

bbc.co.uk

Whether its government raids of domestic properties or the attentive nature of big brother while you surf the internet, the government is slowly gaining ground on its way to a 1984 scenario. As if worrying about someone monitoring our torrents wasn’t enough, we now have to worry about military grade drones being used by police officers in the US to keep us in line. It is true that new conveniences and technological upgrades always come with new battlegrounds and new frontiers, but I wonder if we may be crossing the line that affords us our freedoms.

With compelling arguments from Police such that drones would help reduce cost and help make fighting crime more efficient, drones sound like a good idea.

In this time of austerity, we are always looking for sensible and cost-effective methods to improve public safety,

said Capt. Tom Madigan of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department,

We are not looking at military-grade Predator drones. They are not armed.

YET.

These TOYS, as some law enforcers are calling them, are slowly being introduced into society with the idea that drones are the future and that people can make a successful career out of piloting a drone. Call me crazy but when was it ever OK for the government to invade the privacy of its people? Thankfully, we haven’t all stayed silent about this matter, and for the time being the drones are being put down and canceled, but for how long?

Doug Honig, spokesman for ACLU of Washington says:

Drones give law enforcement agencies unprecedented abilities to engage in surveillance and intrude on people’s privacy

Dave Norris, a city councilman in Charlottesville, Va. says:

I don’t mean to sound conspiratorial about it, but these drones are coming, and we need to put some safeguards in place so they are not abused

With the looming threat of overpopulation, is it a question of morality to set these drones afloat that is, for the time being, forcing them to stay grounded? Is this simply one more step towards total control that is part of a New World Order scheme? Or is this simply a cost effective way of handling crimes in a technologically advancing society? Like it or not, THE DRONES ARE COMING!

Research:

American Civil Liberties Union