CDC: Candida auris Fungal Infections and Drug Resistance on the Rise

The US maternal mortality rate continued to increase in 2021, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics.The trend predated the COVID-19 pandemic: between 2018 and 2019, the rate increased from 17.4 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births to 20.1.It then continued to rise to 23.8 in 2020 and to 32.9 in 2021.There were 1205 maternal deaths in 2021 compared with 658 in 2018.Disparities in maternal mortality also persisted in 2021, with 69.9 Black women dying per 100 000 live births-a 2.6 times higher rate than that of White women that year.For all racial and ethnic groups included in the analysis-Black, Hispanic, and White-the number of deaths per 100 000 live births increased every year from 2018 through 2021.The maternal mortality rate also increased substantially for women aged 40 years or older between 2020 to 2021, from about 107.9 deaths per 100 000 live births to 138.5.In 2019, the maternal mortality rate for this age group was 75.5, a decrease from 81.9 the year prior.