CDC: Drug-Resistant Germs Cause 9.7 Million US Infections a Year

Drug-resistant germs cause an estimated 9.7 million infections and 50,800 deaths in the United States every year, according to a major new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which warns that resistance is threatening modern medicine.

The CDC’s 2026 Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Report, published on 27 October and based on 2023 data, assesses 19 drug-resistant bacterial and fungal pathogens and places four of them in its most dangerous “urgent” category, requiring urgent and aggressive action.

Four urgent threats

The four urgent threats are Candida auris, a fungus that spreads in hospitals and nursing homes and resists most antifungal drugs; carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, which causes pneumonia and wound, bloodstream and urinary infections, often in intensive care patients; carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), bacteria that can pass their drug resistance to other germs; and drug-resistant gonorrhoea.

Candida auris has surged: US cases rose from just 48 in 2016 to 6,304 in 2024, a roughly tenfold increase since 2019, and some strains now resist practically all available antifungal medicines. A separate CDC study found infections with NDM-producing CRE, resistant to nearly all available antibiotics, rose by more than 460 percent between 2019 and 2023.

Bigger numbers, new methods

The new totals are far higher than the CDC’s 2019 report, which estimated 2.8 million infections and 35,000 deaths a year. The agency cautions, however, that the increase partly reflects broader data sources and updated methods, so the two reports should not be compared directly. Germs picked up in hospitals and other medical settings alone cause more than 42,000 deaths a year and add nearly $12 billion in healthcare costs.

“Antimicrobial resistance threatens modern medicine and puts millions of Americans at risk every year,” CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz said in a statement. Public health and medical groups say the findings increase the urgency for better infection control, broader genomic surveillance and financial incentives to revive antibiotic and antifungal development.

Some progress

There was one piece of good news: Clostridioides difficile, which causes severe diarrhoea, was downgraded from urgent to serious after infection rates fell, helped by successful infection prevention in healthcare settings. Drug-resistant Neisseria meningitidis was added as a serious threat, and three pathogens — drug-resistant dermatophytes, drug-resistant Haemophilus influenzae and nontuberculous mycobacteria — joined a watch list of germs whose full burden is not yet understood.

FAKTA

• The CDC’s 2026 Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Report estimates 9.7 million drug-resistant infections and 50,800 deaths a year in the US, based on 2023 data.
• Four pathogens are classed as urgent threats: Candida auris, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and drug-resistant gonorrhoea.
• Candida auris cases rose from 48 in 2016 to 6,304 in 2024; some strains resist almost all antifungals.
• Healthcare-associated resistant germs cause more than 42,000 deaths a year and nearly $12 billion in healthcare costs.
• Clostridioides difficile was downgraded from urgent to serious after infection rates fell; the CDC warns its new methods make direct comparison with 2019 inappropriate.

Conclusion

The CDC’s report is both a warning and a measure of progress: while resistant germs are spreading and killing tens of thousands of Americans a year, the improvement on C. difficile shows that infection control works. Experts say the same discipline — careful antibiotic use, hygiene in hospitals and investment in new drugs — must now be turned on the four urgent threats.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Americans die from drug-resistant infections each year?

The CDC estimates about 50,800 deaths a year, based on 2023 data.

What are the four urgent threats?

Candida auris, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) and drug-resistant gonorrhoea.

Is the problem really much worse than in 2019?

Partly: infections have risen for several germs, but the new figures also use broader data and updated methods, so the CDC says they should not be compared directly with 2019.

Was there any good news in the report?

Yes: C. difficile was downgraded from urgent to serious after infection rates fell, thanks to infection prevention in healthcare settings.

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