2023-05-02 17:23:11
The number of people who contracted a fungal infection at a paper mill in Michigan has risen to 109, in one of the largest “fungal clusters” in US history.
What is happening in Escanaba?
- The number of infections with the rare chrysanthemum fungus has reached at least 109 people in Michigan, following 5 more cases were detected last week.
- Thirteen patients were taken to hospital, and it was not clear if any of them were in critical condition, while one person died.
- The outbreak has been linked to the Bellerod Paper Mill in Escanaba.
- Chlamydia is a rare fungal disease that occurs when you inhale a fungus that usually lives in soil, wood, and leaves.
- Health officials fear more cases will be discovered in the coming weeks, because it might take months for patients to show symptoms.
- Local health authorities said all of the patients were employees, contractors or visitors to the factory, which closed in mid-April following authorities failed to find the source of the outbreak.
What is the source of the mushroom?
The mill was consistently reporting several cases each week in April, but investigators have not yet determined the source of the outbreak, but it is likely that timber that recently arrived at the paper mill was the cause.
The factory’s ventilation system is now being deep cleaned, amid fears that the infection might spread more widely.
The blastomycosis was first diagnosed at the Bellerod plant in late February, but it took more than a month for the order to close.
Initially, the factory required employees to wear face masks to avoid infection. Management was first informed of the outbreak in early March, when a worker tested positive for the fungus.
It was not clear how the outbreak began, but the fungus is known to live in rotting wood and wet leaf litter.
bud mushrooms
- Blastomycosis starts in the lungs, causing symptoms including cough, fever and chest pain, but in severe cases it can then spread to other areas such as the skin, bones, brain and spinal cord.
- Medications are available to treat the infection, including antifungals, however those taking these medications may need to continue using them for up to a year to clear up the infection.
- People catch the fungus by breathing it in.
- Infected patients cannot transmit the fungus to other humans.
- Chlamydia onychomycosis is rare in the United States, with only one or two cases reported per 100,000 people nationwide each year.
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the disease has a death rate of regarding 1 in 100 patients.
It is believed that the outbreak of the fungal disease is the largest in the history of the United States so far, as the largest previous outbreak was in Wisconsin in 2010, and resulted in 55 injuries, 30 hospitalizations and two deaths.
On average, the fungus is behind regarding 6,700 infections and 60 deaths each year across the United States, and outbreaks usually number fewer than 10 individuals.
1683075835
#Numbers #increasing.. #patients #largest #fungal #infection #American #history
