Ohio & Mahoning Valley - The CDC reported on Monday that Columbiana County is among 12 counties in Ohio where a fungus resistant to antimicrobial treatments has spread. 21 News spoke to a local expert who weighed in with her concerns.

According to the CDC, there is currently just one infection in Columbiana County. However, local infectious disease specialist, Dr. Dee Banks tells 21 News this could spread quickly if appropriate action is not taken.

Dr. Banks tells us this fungus is nothing new and that it was only a matter of time before it made its way into the Mahoning Valley. Now that it's here, action must be taken.

"We've known that this fungal organism was eventually going to get to us. It's been detected now in more than half of the United States. This is just the nature of the beast," Dr. Banks said.

Dr. Banks says there is a myriad of symptoms to look out for and says this fungus could colonize in your body without causing any symptoms, but could eventually lead to severe infections.

These infections could occur in areas such as wounds or in your lungs.

Dr. Banks tells us her biggest concern with this fungus is that because it is resistant to antimicrobial treatments, echinocandins do not work on it and it would need to be treated with drugs like Amphotericin B.

Amphotericin B could cause serious side effects such as kidney disease or electrolyte imbalance.

According to Dr. Banks, folks who live in long-term care facilities and/or are immunocompromised are the most susceptible to infection, so it's up to hospital and nursing home staff to make sure patients are safe.

Methods for these staff to reduce the spread include hand washing, wearing gloves whenever possible and making sure everything in patients' rooms are properly sanitized.

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