Current C. auris outbreaks

Please be aware that Harborview Medical Center (HMC) has detected an increase in patients colonized with Candida auris (C. auris) through robust admission screening and inpatient surveillance. Some were identified during admission screening, which could indicate healthcare exposures in other Washington facilities. C. auris, a type of fungus, spreads easily in healthcare settings and can cause colonization (no symptoms) or infection (potentially life-threatening illness) in patients. Public Health Seattle-King County is collaborating with HMC to assess the scope of C. auris and mitigate transmission. HMC is the only acute care facility in the state doing hospital-wide active surveillance, so there is little information as to how many people in the community or other healthcare facilities within WA may be colonized with C. auris and not know it.

Action Requested:

If you admit a patient who received inpatient care at HMC since April 19, 2025, please screen them for C. auris and place them on Contact Precautions (or Enhanced Barrier Precautions in nursing homes), if feasible, until results are available. While the vast majority of patients at HMC are not colonized with C. auris, it is currently challenging to narrow the scope for this screening recommendation to certain units. HMC is unable to perform discharge screening on all patients because this often leads to delays in transfer and lack of available beds for other acute care patients.

All facilities should be prepared for and able to admit patients with known or suspected C. auris colonization or infection.
Early screening is critical for rapid identification of C. auris and implementation of infection control measures to prevent spread at your facility. Patients coming from HMC are not the only patients that could be colonized. For this reason, Public Health recommends implementing a routine C. auris screening process prioritizing patients at high-risk for colonization that are transferred to your facility.

Patients at high-risk for C. auris colonization include those with:

An admission of 24 hours or more in any healthcare facility that is experiencing transmission of C. auris
Close contact with a patient with C. auris infection or colonization in a healthcare setting, including:
- Sharing a room, bathroom, or patient care equipment, or
- Being cared for by the same staff, or
- Staying in a room near someone with C. auris
- An overnight stay in the prior year at a healthcare facility outside the U.S., or In a U.S. region with a high burden of C. auris cases
Direct admission from a ventilator-capable skilled nursing facility or a long-term acute care hospital
Presence of a tracheostomy
Colonization or infection with a carbapenemase-producing organism (CPO)

Current healthcare facilities with known transmission of C. auris as of 6/17/2025:

Kindred Hospital - First Hill

Harborview Regional Medical Center

Resources

Screening criteria updates will be posted on the Partners for Patient Safety Website
For more resources on Candida auris, please visit the WA DOH C. auris website

Please let me know if someone at your facility meets these criteria and I can help you organize screening - Amanda Reilly (amanda.reilly@co.snohomish.wa.us)