Health officials are investigating about 100 suspected cases of potentially serious fungal infections, about a month after a case of ‘atypical’ pneumonia was reported at a paper mill in Michigan. .
The investigation began in March when 15 employees at the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill appeared to have fallen ill earlier in the year, Public Health Delta & Menominee County said in a release at the time. Tests revealed that it was not pneumonia, but a fungal infection called blastomycosis.
Last week, Public Health said there were at least 19 confirmed cases at the paper mill as of Friday, with an additional 74 possible cases.
Blastomycosis is caused by a fungus that lives primarily in moist soils and decomposes organic matter such as wood, and is spread through inhalation of spores. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionSymptoms include fever and cough, but people with weakened immune systems may have more severe symptoms.
The infection can spread to the lungs and other organs, according to the CDC.
Brian Peterson, the factory’s vice president of operations, thanked local, state and federal health agencies for their support in the investigation in a statement released Friday.
“Although the source of the infection has not been identified, we take this matter very seriously and follow the recommendations from health and government officials to protect the health and safety of our employees, contractors and visitors. We are taking a lot of positive steps to ,” Peterson said.
A spokesman for Billerud’s corporate office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Billerud is a multinational paper and packaging company based in Sweden.
The company’s Michigan mill was founded in 1911 as the Escanaba Pulp and Paper Company on the banks of the Escanaba River. The river connects to Little Bay de Knock off Lake Michigan.
Blastomyces, the fungus that causes the infection, is commonly found around the Great Lakes, Ohio, Mississippi, and the St. Lawrence River, according to the CDC.
With a capacity of about 730,000 tons of paper per year, the mill employs over 800 people. According to Billerud’s website.
