Outbreak of drug-resistant germ at Detroit hospital prompts pause in new patient admissions
The director of the National Reference Centre for Invasive Fungus Infections, Oliver Kurzai, holding in his hands a petri dish holding the yeast candida auris in a laboratory of Wuerzburg University in Wuerzburg, Germany, 23 January 2018. There has b
DETROIT (FOX 2) - An outbreak of a drug-resistant fungal germ in a Detroit specialty hospital on the city's northwest side has prompted the facility to pause all patient admissions as health officials work to contain the spread.
At least seven people from Select Specialty Hospital have been confirmed to have Candida auris, a yeast that can result in death and presents a particular threat to patients in nursing homes with comorbidities. The Michigan health department says antifungal medicines used to treat similar infections often don't work against the particular strain.
As a result, patients that were discharged from the facility over the past few weeks are being screened for potential infection.
As of April, 20, there have been no life-threatening illnesses or deaths linked to the outbreak. The general public is not threatened by the outbreak either, Michigan Department of Health and Human Service officials say.
"The Detroit Health Department is working with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Detroit area hospitals to prevent the spread of C. auris, which poses a health risk to hospital patients with weakened immune systems," said Denise Fair Razo, Detroit Chief Public Health Officer. "We will provide epidemiology tracking and support to Detroit area hospitals to make sure staff have protocols in place to stop the spread of this organism and protect patients."
There have only been 15 total cases of C. auris detected in Michigan since last year.
In efforts to screen individuals that were released from the facility, no additional cases have been reported.
C auris spreads through contact with infected patients and contaminated surfaces or equipment. It's most commonly found in health care facilities.
"We are fully cooperating with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and taking all necessary infection control measures, guided by the CDC and state, to ensure the safety of our current and future patients," said Shelly Eckenroth, senior vice president of communications, Select Medical.
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Select Specialty Hospital is a 36-bed critical illness recovery hospital. While housed under the Sinai Grace Hospital located on Outer Drive, the facility is separately licensed and has its own distinct patient care area. The admissions pause only pertains to the specific facility and not the hospital building as a whole.
In an effort to stem any further outbreak of the germ, officials have increased emphasis on hygiene practices among employees and use of personal protective equipment during care of patients.
"Sinai-Grace Hospital has extensive and rigorous infection prevention protocols in place to ensure all hospital services remain safe and available to care for the community," said Detroit Medical Center CEO Brittany Lavis. "We have not identified any Sinai-Grace Hospital patients who have tested positive for C. auris. We are fully cooperating with the department and support the decision to pause patient admissions at the Select Specialty Hospital-Northwest Detroit."