Infectious Diseases: Fungi

(asked on 12th June 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the risks to patient health posed by fungal infections; and what steps he is taking to tackle those risks.


Answered by
Seema Kennedy Portrait
Seema Kennedy
This question was answered on 20th June 2019

The most common invasive fungal infection in the United Kingdom is blood stream infection with yeast, often following surgical interventions. Public Health England (PHE) has prepared advisory documentation for national dissemination and individual hospital response following recent outbreaks caused by this organism, which can be viewed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/candida-auris-emergence-in-england/candida-auris-within-the-united-kingdom-updated-guidance-published

Invasive mould infections such as invasive aspergillosis are more often seen in patients with haematological malignancies or those undergoing treatment for them, and it is difficult to capture absolute data on the incidence of these due to difficulty in definitive diagnosis.

Chronic yeast infections are frequently seen in females that have suffered recurrent bouts of vaginal candidosis (thrush). Estimates suggest that 70% of women report having had at least one episode whilst 8% have repeated and persistent infections. Dermatophyte infections, including athletes’ foot are extremely common, found in about 10% of the adult population at any one time. Scalp and nail infections with these organisms are more disfiguring and difficult to treat.

Reticulating Splines