NEW YORK (WCBS 880/AP) -- Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling on the Centers for Disease Control to declare an emergency and unlock special funding to stem a potentially deadly drug-resistant fungus that's been spreading at health care facilities.
Schumer, the Senate Democratic Leader, says declaring an emergency over the Candida Auris fungus could make his home state of New York eligible for potentially millions of dollars in public health crisis response funding.
"It can be everywhere. It can be on the walls, it can be in the air. And of course it can be in your bloodstream. You've seen the stories. Hospitals sometimes have to rip out their ceilings," the senator said Sunday.
Related: Deadly, Drug-Resistant Fungus Detected In New York, New Jersey
A man died from the infection at a Mount Sinai hospital last year, and the fungus was still all over the room he was staying in after his death. It was just one of the 319 cases reported so far in New York.
More than half of the 613 confirmed cases in the U.S. have been in New York. Illinois has had 156 confirmed cases of the fungus. New Jersey has had 106.
The CDC has declared public health emergencies over Zika, Ebola and H1N1. Schumer says the extra funding could be used to boost testing for Candida Auris and raise public awareness.
"They can help the state boost testing capacity. You can test for this bug. You can test whethre it's in the air, whether it's on the walls, whether it's in your bloodstream," Schumer said.