CDC Identifies Four 'Urgent Threat' Superbugs Among 19 Dangerous Drug-Resistant Germs in New Report

A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that superbugs cause an estimated 9.7 million infections and 50,800 deaths annually in the United States. The report names 19 drug-resistant germs as threats, with four classified as 'urgent threats': Candida auris, a fungus spreading in hospitals and nursing homes; carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii; drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae; and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales. These figures are higher than those in the CDC's 2019 report, partly due to new measurement methods.