How Common are Fungal Diseases?
Unlike AIDS, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, fungal diseases are not nationally reportable in the United States, making it difficult to assess their true incidence. However, the following data are from recent studies that document their impact on public health: According to a nationwide hospital survey, fungi caused 10.4 percent of nosocomial infections in 1990 — 5.1 percent of surgical wound infections, 5.7 percent of lung infections, 18.7 percent of urinary tract infections and 9.9 percent of all bloodstream infections. During the 1980s, fewer than 500 cases of coccidioidomycosis were reported in California each year. In 1991, the number of reported cases jumped to 1,200. The following two years saw even greater increases, with 4,516 and 4,137 cases reported in 1992 and 1993, respectively. Health care workers in California and other areas of the Southwestern United States where coccidioidomycosis is endemic are now required to report occurrences of this disease. (Centers
