Infectious disease threats are growing and can have fatal consequences for patients and the public.
Becker's has reported on six infectious diseases outbreaks that occurred in the first half of 2023 and resulted in at least one death. They are listed below in reverse chronological order. This is not an exhaustive list.
1. In mid-May, Texas health officials warned clinicians about a string of suspected fungal meningitis cases among state residents who underwent surgery in Mexico. Officials have identified 25 confirmed and suspected cases, including two deaths.
2. On May 15, the CDC confirmed four deaths among people who used eye drops contaminated with a drug-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In total, the outbreak has affected more than 80 people in 18 states.
3. A kindergartner at a Michigan school died April 26 amid a classroom outbreak of haemophilus influenzae, an invasive bacteria that can cause various infections, according to the Detroit Free Press.
4. Seven patients who contracted Klebsiella pneumoniae in an outbreak at Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Center have died, the hospital confirmed April 28.
5. In April, a fungal outbreak sickened more than 100 people at a Michigan paper mill. Fourteen people required hospitalization and one person died after developing blastomycosis, a rare fungal infection caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis.
6. In January, Mississippi health officials disclosed an outbreak of Candida auris that resulted in the deaths of two long-term care facility residents.