Campinas (SP) confirmed this Wednesday afternoon (7) that it identified the first case of contamination by the superfungus Candida auris. The patient is a premature baby hospitalized at Unicamp’s Women’s Hospital (Caism) and the diagnosis was on May 18.
It is also the first and only case recorded in São Paulo in history, according to the State Department of Health. “All prevention and control measures have been implemented by the hospital. The Sanitary Surveillance monitors the investigation and the measures implemented”, says a text from the advisory department, mentioning that the unit can continue to deliver deliveries and care for patients.
The patient has a good clinical evolution, despite conditions associated with prematurity and low weight, Caism reported. “These conditions are common to premature newborns and are not directly related to the infection”, says a note sent by the hospital to EPTV.
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containment measures
Caism highlighted that since that date it has carried out extensive investigation among other patients at the hospital and so far has not registered new positive diagnoses for the pathological agent. In addition, he mentioned that new screenings are underway to confirm the previous result.
“As a methodological principle for reducing the risk of spreading the fungus, the hospital adopted contact precautions in the treatment of babies who have been treated by professionals with a history of direct contact with the source case”, highlights another excerpt from the note.
Still according to Caism, with the exception of the baby contaminated with the superfungus, the other children under contact precaution did not show a positive result for the fungus.
“Initiating this measure in the face of the simple hypothesis of infection helps to contain the spread of pathogens and protect patients and health professionals”, says the text when mentioning that the case has already been notified to the competent health authorities for inclusion in bulletins on the subject.
Scratchs
According to experts, the fungus may not pose a risk to healthy people, but it can lead to death for those with weakened immune systems. Candida auris was first identified in Japan in 2009 and has since spread to countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.
The first case was identified in Brazil in 2020, and this year there is an outbreak in Pernambuco.
The regions of the body where Candida auris usually stay are: ears, nostrils, armpits and groin. At this stage, there are no symptoms. But, an injury, a skin wound or the use of some type of catheter in the hospital can give the chance for these fungi to enter the body, reach the bloodstream and cause an infection. In severe cases, they can even harm organs such as the heart and brain. This is when the patient may have fevers, chills and the worsening of the illnesses that brought him to the hospital.
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care
Caism highlighted that it adopted other precautions regarding cleaning and guidelines after confirming the case:
Cleaning and disinfection of the place of hospitalization and medical-hospital equipment with a product based on hydrogen peroxide;
Reinforcement of guidance for care teams regarding proper hand hygiene and clothing techniques (gloves, caps, aprons, etc.);
Concurrent cleaning of the place of hospitalization at least every 3 hours. That is, instead of terminal cleaning, performed after the patient is discharged or transferred to another area, concurrent cleaning is performed during the patient’s stay in the health care environment;
Appointment of exclusive health articles and products for the patient during hospitalization;
Reduction in the number of visits to the baby who had contamination. Visitors have received reinforced guidance on hand hygiene, use of aprons and gloves; milk collections are in the same room where the child is hospitalized, with the supervision and guidance of the nursing team; and the movement of parents within the hospital is minimal and essential.
