BACOLOD City – The Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) has confirmed an outbreak of Candida auris in its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Hospital chief Dr. Joan Cerrada said that as of December 21, three premature infants have tested positive for the fungal infection. She disclosed this during a Zoom interview with members of the media.
Cerrada explained that Candida auris is a fungal pathogen that usually affects individuals with severely weakened immune systems. The infection was detected among three infants who have been confined at the hospital for around 50 days.
Due to the highly infectious nature of Candida auris, the affected infants have been isolated from other patients in the NICU.
“We need to isolate them to protect the other babies admitted in the NICU, who are also premature,” Cerrada said.
The isolation requirement has prompted the hospital to temporarily limit admissions to the NICU, particularly mother-and-child cases, as part of intensified infection prevention and control measures.
In an advisory, CLMMRH emphasized that the move is necessary to prevent further transmission and ensure the safety of all infants under critical care.
Hospital management assured the public that strict infection prevention and control protocols are being enforced and urged understanding and cooperation as the hospital works to contain the situation./PN
