JUNE 18, 2019

Invasive Fungal Infections Often Follow Hurricanes

By Ethan Covey

Many immunosuppressed patients were exposed to mold following Hurricane Harvey in Texas, often while cleaning their houses and the area without adequate respiratory protection, according to a new CDC report (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019;68(21):469–473).

This finding is concerning because immunosuppressed people could be at risk for invasive mold infections that carry mortality rates as high as 50%.