Drug-resistant infections, deaths increase in U.S., CDC says

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported infections caused by drug-resistant pathogens increased significantly between 2019 and 2026. The CDC report found drug-resistant bacteria and fungi caused approximately 9.7 million U.S. infections each year, an increase from the 2.8 million infections reported in 2019. U.S. deaths resulting from drug-resistant pathogens increased from approximately 35,000 to 50,800. The report said infections commonly occurring in hospitalized patients contributed to more than 42,000 deaths and cost the U.S. healthcare system more than $12 billion. The CDC based its findings on 2023 data. The agency called Candida auris an urgent threat, with 4,523 infections in 2023, a 10-fold increase from 2019. However, Clostridoides difficile infections fell by 9% from 2018 to 2023, causing 11,000 deaths in 2023. (CIDRAP news article, 10/27/26)