Schumer Calls on CDC to Declare Emergency in Superbug Fight

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer is calling on the Centers for Disease Control to declare an emergency and unlock special funding to stem a potentially deadly drug-resistant fungus that’s been spreading at health care facilities.

Schumer, the Senate Democratic Leader, says declaring an emergency over the Candida Auris fungus could make his home state of New York eligible for potentially millions of dollars in public health crisis response funding.

More than half of the 613 confirmed cases in the U.S. have been in New York. Illinois has had 156 confirmed cases of the fungus. New Jersey has had 106.

The CDC has declared public health emergencies over Zika, Ebola and H1N1. Schumer says the extra funding could be used to boost testing for Candida Auris and raise public awareness.