The CDC's 2026 Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Report, based on 2023 data, estimates more than 9.3 million drug-resistant infections and more than 39,000 deaths a year in the United States, with Candida auris up nearly tenfold since 2019.
More than 9.3 million drug-resistant infections and more than 39,000 deaths occur each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2026 Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Report, which uses 2023 data. Including Clostridioides difficile, the toll rises to 9.7 million infections and 50,800 deaths.
The report lists 19 pathogens, four urgent, 13 serious and two concerning, plus six more on a watch list. Candida auris, a fungus that spreads in health care settings, has risen nearly tenfold since 2019 and remains in the urgent category, while C. difficile has been downgraded from urgent to serious.
CDC Director Erica Schwartz said resistance "threatens modern medicine and puts millions of Americans at risk every year."
The headline totals come from the CDC's own report and were matched by independent coverage from Healio. The CDC updated its data sources and methods since its 2019 edition, so the new totals are not directly comparable with that edition's figures of 2.8 million infections and 35,000 deaths.
The report's watch list and the continued rise of Candida auris point to sustained pressure on hospitals and health agencies to track resistant organisms and curb their spread, with the next edition of the agency's surveillance data due to update the picture.