Giving Compass' Take:

• In this story from Global Citizen, author Jackie Marchildon tells readers what they need to know about C. auris, a superbug fungus which is spreading in the US.

• What resources are needed to halt the spread of this fungus? Who is most vulnerable, and what are the first steps health advocates should take?

• To learn about how one fungus causes the worst disease ever recorded, click here.

As the global health community continues to see a growing number of measles outbreaks worldwide, yet another global health concern has popped up rather suddenly in the United States — the threat of a superbug fungus.

An outbreak of the fungus Candida auris, or C. auris, was recently reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US.

Here’s what you need to know about it.

What is Candida auris?

C. auris is a strain of fungus that can cause different kinds of infections like wound infections, ear infections and — in severe cases — blood infections. Doctors first discovered it in 2009 in Tokyo, but it has since been reported in more than 30 countries around the world, including the US, where it is currently spreading.

What is a superbug?

A superbug is a strain of bacteria that has become resistant to antibiotics. C. auris is not always resistant to antibiotics, but it often is, which is what makes containing it so pressing.

Read the full article about the superbug fungus by Jackie Marchildon at Global Citizen