Fungal infection at Michigan paper mill kills 1, sickens nearly 100

A rare fungal outbreak at a Michigan paper mill has killed at least one person and sickened nearly 100, according to health officials, as local and federal investigators try to determine the cause. The factory was temporarily closed.

An outbreak of blastomycosis at the Billerud Paper Mill in Escanaba, Michigan has escalated since February.

Local health officials initially identified about 15 probable cases. Until mid-Aprilthe number rose to 21 confirmed and 76 probable cases, with 12 hospitalizations and one death.

All reported cases occurred among workers, contractors, or factory visitors.

Billerud is a Swedish-based paper and packaging company that said on thursday Starting next week, the plant will be closed for three weeks for a thorough cleaning, inspection of ventilation systems, replacement of filters and testing of various raw materials entering the plant, which employs about 830 people. Cleaning requires the mill to be largely empty, the company said.

“Because B. blastomyces is endemic to this region, it can be difficult to identify the source of the outbreak,” the company said in a statement. “There has never been a documented industrial outbreak of this nature anywhere in the United States.” bottom”

Blastomycosis is an infection associated with the bacterium B. blastomycosis, which grows in moist soil and decomposition products such as wood and leaves, and can become airborne when disturbed.

Blastomyces infections are rare. 2019, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention A total of 240 cases of blastomycosis reported.

Only 26 cases have been reported across Michigan on average over the past five years, according to local health agencies. I pointed out that there is

According to the CDC, “Blastomycosis is still poorly understood.” It lives in the area around the St. Lawrence River.

Breathing Blastomyces spores does not make most people sick. Symptoms include cough (which may be bloody), fever, chest pain, difficulty breathing, night sweats, fatigue, weight loss, muscle and joint pain. Symptoms appear between 3 weeks and 3 months after exposure. Blastomycosis can be treated with antifungal drugs.

Officials said the first patient’s symptoms began in January and February.

A team led by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health closed the factory on March 27 and 28 at Bireld’s request, according to an April 7 letter from the agency’s health scientist Marsha Stanton. visited. Posted by CBS.

The agency has made N95 respirators available to reduce potential exposure and has asked the company to inspect ventilation systems and ducts for “evidence of water ingress and microbial growth” while the investigation continues. advised to

In a statement on Saturday, the CDC said it plans to return to the factory in late April to provide urinary antigen screening tests for Blastomyces to look for possible exposures. Participation is voluntary.

Investigators will use test results and questionnaires “to inform environmental sampling strategies,” officials said, adding that the data may help narrow down test sites at the 2,000-acre plant.

“Our top priority is to protect the health and safety of our employees and contractors working at our Escanaba plant,” said Christoph Michalski, President and Chief Executive Officer of Billerud, in a statement. We care deeply about their well-being and are doing everything we can to protect them and identify and address the root cause of B. blastomycosis.”

according to Billerud website, the Escanaba mill began producing paper in 1911 as the Escanaba Pulp and Paper Company. Today, the mill produces graphic papers used in commercial printing, marketing materials and labels, with an annual capacity of approximately 660,000 tons of paper.