Health officials warn about "Nightmare Bacteria"

Chua Xiong with the Brown Co. Health Department  said "They are evolving and becoming superbugs where no anti-biotic is touching them."

Patients in hospitals and rehabilitation centers are at a higher risk on being infected with CRE. 

In Wisconsin, 17 health facilities have reported cases of CRE since December 2011 and in many cases, it can be fatal.

Dr. Tom Frieden, the director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said "It's not often our scientists come to me and say we have a very serious problem.

CRE kills about half of patients who get severe infections from them, said Frieden.

"We need doctors, nurses, other healthcare workers and people who lead health facilities to work together to take rapid action to stop CRE from spreading further now," he said

These bacterias are normally found in our intestines.

It gets into the blood stream by being passed through ventilators, tubes, or catheters--- putting long-term hospital patients who are severely sick at a greater risk of catching CRE.  

But Hospitals are required to sterilize all equipment.

Gwen Borlaug, the HAI Prevention Program coordinator with the Wisconsin Division of Public Health said "We make sure that hospitals are practicing their good infection prevention measures so that we don't transmit it to other patients."

"Healthy normal people usually don't get CRE.  It's individuals that are in the hospital for something and they are receiving treatment for other things," said Xiong.

CDC says they don't know what the future of CRE will bring but they're working to find a cure. 

Until then, health officials recommend repeatedly washing your hands to prevent spreading bacteria.

For more information on CRE risks click here