MILWAUKEE — More cases of a potentially deadly fungus called Candida Auris continue to pop up across the country right now, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has labeled it as a serious global health threat.

“This is something we’ve been tracking for a number of years,” said Ashlie Dowdell, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ Health Care-Associated Infections Program Director. “To date, we’ve only had seven cases in the State of Wisconsin and that [includes] our first case identified last January of 2022.”

While the health implications of contracting Candida Auris can be serious, Dowdell’s quick to point out that most Wisconsinites likely shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

“Our hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities are tracking this particular organism,” Dowdell said. “This is not something that is a general risk [for] the average member of the public — this is something that’s very rare.”

Watch the full interview above.