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CHICAGO (CBS) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning that a deadly fungus is spreading across the country at an alarming rate.

The number of people infected has tripled in the last three years. Few states have more cases of infection than Illinois, with nearly 300 cases reported in the last 12 months.

Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungus, is found mostly in nursing homes and, as CBS2 reporter Chris Tye reported Tuesday night, healthcare cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic may have spurred the spread of this infection.

Candida auris is a type of yeast that is usually harmless to healthy people. However, it can be fatal for vulnerable patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

Candida spreads easily and can infect wounds, ears, and even the bloodstream. Infection of the bloodstream or heart valves can be fatal.

What does Candida auris cause?

While doctors in the US are trying to stop COVID, Candida auris is quietly growing.

Dr. Mary Hayden, Director of Infectious Diseases at Rush University Medical Center, said: "I am concerned about this." I'm concerned that this has worsened during the pandemic."

Cases of Candida auris are now increasing at an "alarming" rate in healthcare facilities across the country after reports of infected patients nearly doubled in 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Monday.

For several years after the first case was reported in the U.S. in 2016, only a few dozen cases of Candida auris were reported to the CDC annually. However, according to new CDC data published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, these cases have begun to increase in recent years.

In 2021, the annual number of cases has increased by 95%, from 756 cases in 2020 to 1,471 cases in 2021. Preliminary figures suggest that there will be at least 2,377 more cases in 2022. Currently, 30 states and the District of Columbia have reported cases of Candida auris.

CBS 2 is tracking the spread: in 2016, there were only six cases of drug-resistant Candida auris in Illinois and none in Indiana.

In the past 12 months, the number of cases has ballooned to 276 cases in Illinois and 87 cases in Indiana.

Candida auris, which is spread by unwashed hands and medical equipment, is difficult to detect, and the COVID outbreak is no accident, Hayden said.

'During COVID, because we're so few, sometimes someone goes from one patient to another using a gown - and if that gown is contaminated, then there could be infection,' Hayden said. 'So this is the same thing that we would see in a real crisis situation.

Cases of Candida auris are more common in nursing homes. If your loved one is in a nursing home, Hayden says you need to ask the tough questions.

"Has there ever been a case of Candida auris in this nursing home?" and "If so, what steps were taken to prevent other patients from becoming infected?" Hayden suggests asking.

The first case of Candida auris was discovered in Japan in 2009. The first case in the United States occurred in 2013 but was not confirmed until 2016.

Candida auris infection symptoms

According to the CDC, C. auris does not always cause infections, but it can easily infect others when it attaches to a patient's skin.

However, when C. auris does cause infection, it is often in patients who already have other illnesses and are symptomatic, which can make it difficult to identify, according to the CDC.

According to the CDC, fever, and chills that don't improve with antibiotics are the most common symptoms of C. auris.

What is Candida auris, or C. auris?

According to the CDC, Candida auris is a drug-resistant fungus that can cause outbreaks in healthcare facilities.

It infects the bloodstream and can cause death by invading the blood, heart, and brain, the agency said. It is estimated that more than one in three patients die from the infection.

Experts say the pathogen is dangerous because it is often resistant to antifungal drugs commonly used to treat the infection. They also say it is difficult to detect without specialized laboratory techniques and is often confused with other infections.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), C. auris was first identified in Asia in 2009 and spread rapidly around the world; since it began spreading in the United States in 2015, reported cases have increased by more than 300%.