Candida auris: Where are the fungus cases in New York? What we know (and don't)

• The majority of 3,300-plus Candida auris cases in NY impacted hospitals and nursing homes in New York City and on Long Island.
• But 13 of the hospitals and nursing homes on the list of impacted facilities were in Rockland and Westchester counties.
• Monroe, Dutchess and Orange counties each had one hospital on the list.

Back in 2019, New York health officials released the list of hospitals and nursing homes in New York that treated patients harboring Candida auris, the deadly drug-resistant fungus.

The transparency, in many ways, allowed patients to ask informed questions about medical facilities’ efforts to curb infections.

But now, as the fungus spreads at alarming rates, health officials have reversed course and started withholding details of where exposures occurred, citing an inability to say if an actual infection occurred at the facility.

The turnabout comes as federal health officials sounded alarms about Candida auris’ rising threat, including more than 3,300 cases connected to New York since 2016.

From 2016 to 2019, New York reported 1,160 total C. auris cases. But since 2020, the state recorded another 2,164 cases, or a roughly 86% increase during a comparable span.

Meanwhile, New York’s backtrack into secrecy followed the health care industry’s long-standing opposition to disclosing the list due to concerns it could discourage patients from choosing a facility. Other states and federal agencies also withhold the facility-level list of exposures.

USA TODAY Network submitted a public-records request for the most recent list of medical facilities in New York that had an exposure to Candida auris, also known as C. auris.

How many Candida auris cases in New York?

The breakdown of more than 3,300 total C. auris cases in New York since 2016 includes 1,454 clinical cases, where the patient was ill, state officials said.

The remaining 1,870 patients were screening cases, which involved people who were not ill from C. auris and tested positive as part of a public health investigation.

See the 2019 list: Candida auris: See which New York medical facilities treated deadly 'superbug' fungus

The number of C. auris cases increased rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as medical facilities struggled in the face of historic patient loads overall, state data show.

Where are Candida auris cases in New York?

The majority of Candida auris cases on the initial list of 168 hospitals and nursing homes hit facilities in New York City and on Long Island. Three hospices also had cases.

But 13 of the hospitals and nursing homes on the list were in Rockland and Westchester counties. Monroe, Dutchess and Orange counties each had one hospital on the list.

While declining to provide details, state health officials said they are actively working with the affected healthcare facilities as the number of cases has steadily increased in New York and nationally.

Officials noted New York has issued multiple advisories directing medical facilities about C. auris infection prevention, control recommendations and reporting guidelines.

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What is Candida auris, or C. auris?

The C. auris fungus can infect the bloodstream and even cause death by invading the blood, heart and brain, the agency said. More than 1 in 3 patients die from such an infection.

Experts say the pathogen is also dangerous because it’s often resistant to antifungal medicines commonly used to treat infections. It’s also difficult to identify without specialized laboratory technology and is often mistaken for other infections.

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Experts say the rise in C. auris cases may be a result of increased surveillance efforts picking up more cases, decreased prevention efforts because of a burdened health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic, or both.

In New York, health officials noted some C. auris cases were recently identified in facilities outside of the New York City area without epidemiological links to a known case, raising questions about localized spread rather than imported cases.

Adrianna Rodriguez of USA TODAY contributed to this report