At the moment we do not have any active influx of Candida Auris that has been reported to us, to be vigilant and to be investigated by EODY, says the Head of the Epidemiological Surveillance Directorate for Infectious Diseases of EODY, epidemiologist, to the Fm Agency. Cassiani Mellouafter the concern caused by statements of scientists about the location of this pathogen in Evangelismos and other hospitals in Athens.
Ms. Mellou clarifies, however, that in almost all units there have been pathogens that have been transmitted in hospital from time to time.
“There is no international intensive care unit that is sterile, without any pathogens. And to express my personal opinion, I would prefer to go to a hospital like Evangelismos, which has announced that it has found candida in the past, because that means that doctors are informed to look for it, they have the laboratory capacity, and they took quick steps to avoid any major influx. “It’s important to know that many times, services that tell us they have cases are not the ones that are most dangerous.”
No death has been reported in Patras
Regarding the statements related to the specific fungus with deaths in Patras, the representative of EODY notes: “There was no official confirmation of this statement, nor has any death been reported attributed to candida in Patras, and let us know” .
A reasonable question arises as to whether there has been an increase in this pathogen in the pandemic where the intensive care units have been affected more than ever.
“Internationally, there is some data that speaks of an increase. However, I would like to clarify that it is very important that there is difficulty in diagnosing candida. So in recent years we have improved our laboratory investigation and find the specific pathogen more easily. Therefore, its increased detection does not necessarily mean an increase. “But it means that we are more informed, and that doctors look when they have cases, and for candida.”
Who is at risk?
The Candida Auris fungus, which usually occurs in hospitals and especially in intensive care units, does not threaten people outside the hospital and outside the ICU, Ms. Mellou clarified, adding that the more immunosuppressed someone is, or the more foreign bodies they bring, such as a catheter or is intubated, increases the chance of getting serious disease from this fungus.
“What I would like to clarify, because there has been a lot of talk about this fungus in recent days, is that it is essentially one of the pathogens that can occur in an ICU, and lead to a nosocomial infection, but it is not the only one. . I would not like to lose the image because of the publicity that the issue has received. All infections that may occur within an intensive care unit are significant. Clearly for all, we are interested in taking immediate measures and in all measures they are the same, whether it is candida, or pseudomonas, or some other pathogen. We must have very good observance of the hygienic conditions “.
In 2019, candida was isolated for the first time in our country, says Ms. Mellou, explaining that this led to a pilot application (2019-2021) to inform hospitals about the pathogen. “Several information notes were sent by us to the doctors of the units about the possibility of the appearance of the pathogen, how they should check it in the laboratory, and to report cases to us. So as a pilot we had recorded during these years (and in the midst of a pandemic) some cases, which did not lead to a tragically large influx. Nevertheless, we decided to have a complete record, to have a mandatory declaration of these infections.
We now have the possibility of laboratory examination in hospitals and we also have a laboratory at EKPA that can confirm that it is candida. Following all this, candida auris has been included in the list of pathogens that we now regularly record from all ICUs in the country. This has been approved by the Minister Mr. Plevris (his sensitivity to the issue is known, due to his personal adventure with nosocomial infection) and is the first priority for EODY. The results will be announced in the coming months. ”
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