BEWARE: Cases Rising Of Severe And Deadly Superbug, MI Affected

As the summer season winds down in Michigan, there are signs that Fall will be here soon. Students head back to school and there's a tease of cooler temperatures. With the change in season comes more cases of illnesses as we spend more time indoors. And one severe and fatal illness is concerning health officials as cases rise affecting Michigan residents and the U.S.

BEWARE: Cases Rising Of Severe And Deadly Superbug, MI Affected

This severe infection has affected Michigan and the nation and is rapidly spreading globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a new report that dangerous new strains of a "hypervirulent" superbug have been found in 16 countries, including the U.S. The antibiotic-resistant bacterium, hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp), causes chronic infections such as pneumonia, and meningitis, and could lead to death. And it's not just the symptoms that are concerning health officials.

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According to the WHO report, more cases of these infections go undetected as surveillance of these germs in the U.S. and around the globe is limited. And with limited treatment options, an outbreak could be imminent:

There are very limited antimicrobial treatment options for the carbapenem-resistant hvKp isolates and these strains have the capacity to generate outbreaks.

The WHO also states that 'the risk of spread could increase due to high movements of people (within and between countries and regions)' and urges local health officials to improve awareness about these infections and expand testing to identify and treat them immediately.

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