Scientists believe the fungus is not a threat to healthy people whose immune systems can fight it off. But it poses a danger to medically fragile people, including nursing home patients on ventilators and cancer patients on chemotherapy. Between 30 to 70 percent of hospitalized people who develop bloodstream infections are estimated to die.

The fungus has now been detected in more than half the states, with 17 states identifying their first case between 2019 and 2021. Most spread has occurred in long-term acute care hospitals and skilled-nursing facilities, where patients are more likely to be on ventilators, the CDC says. Case counts are probably an underestimate because screening requires specialized equipment and is conducted unevenly across the United States.

Candida can cause fatal infections in the bloodstream, heart and brain. The CDC does not track how many people died, and it can be difficult to discern cause of death when the patients at highest risk are often already fighting for their lives.

Life Imitates Art as Fungus Grows Among Us. No Zombies – Yet | Climate Denial Crock of the Week