Chicago is one of a handful of American cities where a deadly fungal infection, Candida auris, has been spreading rapidly.

It was first detected five years ago. By 2019, researchers were noting the emergence of a strain of the infection that is resistant to antifungal medications.

C. auris is a “superbug” — an antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infection that does not respond to existing medications such as antifungals. It kills 30% to 60% of patients who contract it, mostly in nursing homes and hospitals. And it is not alone.

As chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Rush University Children’s Hospital in Chicago and an expert in antimicrobial resistance, I have witnessed this crisis with my own eyes. But I need you to see it too.

Read the full piece here.