Drug-Resistant ‘Superbugs’ Linked to More Than 50,000 Deaths a Year, CDC Says
A CDC report shows an increase in drug-resistant superbugs across the United States. Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez · Moment/Getty Drug-resistant bacteria and fungi cause roughly 9.7 million infections and 50,800 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hospital-acquired infections account for over 42,000 deaths and cost more than $12…
According to a recent CDC report, drug-resistant superbugs cause roughly 9.7 million infections and 50,800 deaths in the United States each year. These infections disproportionately affect patients in hospitals, accounting for over 42,000 deaths and costing the U.S. healthcare system more than $12 billion annually. The surge in resistant bacteria and fungi is mainly attributed to the overuse of antibiotics, especially for viral infections where they offer no benefit.
This overuse creates selective pressure that allows resistant bacterial strains to survive and spread. The CDC's updated Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Threats Report highlights 19 drug-resistant pathogens, with four classified as urgent threats (Candida auris, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, and drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae).
The most urgent threat is Candida auris, a fungus that is almost completely resistant to antifungal medications and has seen a nearly tenfold increase since first detected in hospitals a decade ago.
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