Salem Hospital (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
This article was updated at 6:40 p.m. with additional information from Salem Health.
Health authorities are investigating an outbreak of a serious fungal infection that’s sickened three patients at Salem Hospital this month.
The cases of Candida auris, a type of yeast that can be resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, are the first ever reported in Oregon, the Oregon Health Authority said in a Tuesday afternoon news release.
The first patient was identified at the hospital Dec. 11, the release said, and had recent exposure from international travel. The hospital confirmed the case on Dec. 17, Salem Health spokeswoman Lisa Wood said.
Two other hospital patients then caught the infection, the release said. Those patients were identified on Dec. 23 and Dec. 27.
“Candida auris is an emerging pathogen of concern because it can cause serious infections, particularly in those with serious medical problems, and can be resistant to the antifungal drugs we have to treat it,” said Rebecca Pierce, who manages the Oregon Health Authority’s healthcare-associated infections program, in a statement. “Fortunately, the organism we’re dealing with in this outbreak appears to respond to existing treatments. Nonetheless, it’s critical that we prevent the spread of the infection.”
The fungus poses a low infection risk to healthy people, including health care workers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The risk of infection and serious complication is highest for patients who have been hospitalized for long periods, have weakened immune systems or have a central catheter or other lines and tubes in their bodies.
More than 1,150 clinical cases of Candida auris have been identified in the United States since 2013, the release said.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a rise in multi-drug resistant organisms around the world and nationwide, and Salem is not immune,” said Jasmin Chaudhary, medical director of infection prevention at Salem Health, in a statement.
Chaudhary said the hospital is taking steps to avoid the spread of infection including “aggressive eradication measures” that have been successful in other hospitals.
The health authority and Salem Health are also contacting facilities that have recently accepted discharged patients from hospital units affected by the outbreak.
Wood said three hospital units were affected and did not respond to a question about how many patients were exposed. Since Dec. 17, no patients have been discharged from the affected units as testing is conducted, Wood said.
The health authority has identified 23 other health care facilities that may have received exposed patients who were discharged from Salem Hospital after the first patient arrived but before the fungal infection was confirmed.
All facilities and potentially affected patients have been notified, Wood said.
“We are working with OHA to conduct testing of patients who may have been exposed and will continue to follow their guidance. Due to the low risk to employees, OHA and the CDC are not recommending testing of staff or the environment at this time,” Wood said in an email.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the infection as a virus, rather than a fungus. Salem Reporter apologized for the error.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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