A deadly, drug-resistant “superbug” is spreading across the United States — and California has reported the most cases so far.
Read more Here’s what some NC teachers think about new state pay raises. Is it enough?
More than 4,500 cases of Candida auris infections have been reported nationwide so far in 2026, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The so-called “superbug” can cause severe infections that are often resistant to antifungal medications, the American Medical Association said, putting patients at hospitals and healthcare facilities in danger.
According to the CDC, California has reported a total of 972 cases of Candida auris in 2026, the most of any U.S. state.
California logged three cases of the fatal fungus during the week of Aug. 9, according to the most recent data from the CDC.
In 2025, the California Department of Public Health had 2,530 cases of Candida auris, which has steadily increased since 2019.
Here’s what to know about the fungal superbug — and how to keep your loved ones safe:
Candida auris is a type of yeast that can cause “severe illness” and “spreads easily among very sick patients in healthcare facilities,” according to the CDC.
The fungus can cause everything from skin infections to life-threatening bloodstream infections.
It’s been “responsible for large outbreaks in California hospitals and skilled nursing facilities,” the California Department of Public Health said.
Although C. auris infections are generally rare, healthcare providers consider them an “emerging infectious disease” with cases spiking since 2019, the Cleveland Clinic said.
California saw a total of 3,859 C. auris cases in 2025, compared to 3,325 the previous year, according to tracking data from the state Public Health Department.
Canida auris is frequently resistant to antifungal medications, with the fungus developing the ability to “defeat the drugs designed to kill it,” according to the CDC.
Read more Knicks’ Josh Hart Gets Honest About Home Life With Wife and 3-Year-Old Twins
“Resistant infections can be difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat,” the CDC said.
From 2017 to 2022, 34% of cases of the fungal infection resulted in death, the CDC said.
Symptoms of a Candida auris infection can include the following, according to the Cleveland Clinic:
A Candida auris infection is best treated with antifungal medicines such as Echinocandins, the CDC and healthcare company Kaiser Permanente said, although infections often don’t respond to just one drug.
In severe cases, your doctor may give high does of more than one antifungal medicine.
Candida auris usually affects patients with severe underlying medical conditions and people with invasive medical devices such as breathing tubes, feeding tubes and catheters, according to the CDC.
Patients can have the fungus can live on their skin or other parts of their body even if they don’t have symptoms, the CDC said.
It can also spread to other surfaces and objects.
Healthcare providers and visitors aren’t at risk of becoming infected, experts said.
According to the CDC, healthcare providers can take the following steps to prevent the spread of Candida auris:
According to a CDC dashboard, there had been a total of 4,511 reported cases of Candida auris infections across 28 states as of Aug. 15. These were all the states where infections have spread as of Aug. 15, according to CDC data:
This story was originally published August 21, 2026 at 3:15 PM with the headline “Deadly drug-resistant ‘superbug’ is spreading in California. What to know.”
Read more DWTS’ Peta Murgatroyd Reveals Why She and Husband Maks Left L.A. for Florida