This webinar is being held by KHCA and is free to attend June 23rd at 2 PM
Candida auris outbreaks in LTC Communities
Recently there have been outbreaks of Candida auris in hospitals and nursing homes in several states. This has recently hit the news and will likely continue to be in the news for the foreseeable future. As such, KHCA and KDHE want to provide you as much information as possible along with resources on how to prepare for this “superbug” that can result in serious illness and even death before it’s found in Kansas.
Candida auris is a novel/emerging fungal infection that is a multi-drug resistant organism that is highly transmissible, resulting in healthcare associated outbreaks. The infection can lead to bloodstream infections in 5-10% of colonized patients with approximately 85% of cases being resistant to antifungal treatments. Global mortality rates range from 30-60% with risk factors including elderly age, diabetes mellitus, recent surgery, presence of an indwelling medical device (e.g., central venous catheter, IVs, indwelling catheters), immunosuppressed state, use of hemodialysis, neutropenic state (low white blood cell counts), chronic renal disease, or the use of broad-spectrum antibiotic and/or antifungal drugs. This webinar will be presented by Bureau of Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics team from KDHE.
At the end of this webinar participants will:
- Understand the importance of cleaning and disinfecting any shared reusable equipment as well as enhanced cleaning schedules for frequently touched surfaces.
- Understand best practices to screening residents/patients to identify C. auris colonization.
- Understand the necessity for implementing appropriate infection prevention and control practices.
