More than 100 cases of rare fungal infection linked to Michigan paper mill

CNN
—

Michigan health officials said 109 cases of the rare fungal infection, blastomycosis, were linked to a paper mill in Escanaba, an increase of five cases since the last update a week ago.

From 109 cases, 13 have been hospitalized and one death has already been reported. All of the cases involve employees, contractors or visitors to the Billerud paper mill, according to Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties. billerud idle factory operations last month to allow for further cleaning and said in a statement on Monday that it was targeting a May 8 start date.

Although the number of blastomycosis cases has increased since the last update, that doesn’t necessarily mean exposures are continuing, county health departments said Friday. Since the incubation period for blastomycosis can range from 21 to 90 days, “it is likely that all cases were exposed prior to plant idle operations,” the agencies said.

“While we continue to see new cases that test positive for blastomycosis and are reported to Public Health Delta and Menominee counties, we continue to see fewer new cases reported each week and many of these cases have been showing signs and symptoms since March. “, department health official Michael Snyder said in a statement.

Blastomycosis is caused by a fungus, blastomyces, which lives in the environment, especially in moist soil and decaying material like wood or leaves, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is found primarily in the Midwest and South, especially around the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and the Great Lakes.

There are only 1 or 2 cases per 100,000 people each year in states where blastomycosis is a reportable disease, according to the CDC. An analysis revealed 1,216 deaths linked to the disease from 1990 to 2010.

People can breathe in these microscopic fungal spores, and while most don’t get sick, some will develop symptoms such as fever or cough between three weeks and three months later, the CDC said. Other symptoms may include chest pain, difficulty breathing, night sweats, fatigue, weight loss, and muscle or joint pain, according to local health officials. In rare cases, the infection can spread outside of the lungs to places such as the skin, bones, brain, and spinal cord.

Blastomycosis is not transmitted from person to person. It is treated with antifungal medications which must be taken for a period ranging from six months to a year, depending on the severity of the disease and the general state of health of the person.