KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images(MICHIGAN) Nearly 100 probable cases of a rare fungal infection, including one fatal, have been linked to a
KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images(MICHIGAN) Nearly 100 probable cases of a rare fungal infection, including one fatal, have been linked to a Michigan paper mill.
Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties (PHDM) said 21 cases of blastomycosis have been confirmed while another 76 are suspected. All cases are in employees, contractors or visitors of the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Amid the outbreak, 12 people have been hospitalized and one person a contractor who worked at the mill has died due to blastomycosis, health officials said.
The department was notified about the first cases on Feb. 28 among workers with the mill.
"The health and safety of our Escanaba employees is our first priority," Brian Peterson, vice president of operation at the mill, said in a statement. "Although the source of the infection has not been established, we continue to take this matter very seriously and are following recommendations f
(MICHIGAN) Nearly 100 probable cases of a rare fungal infection, including one fatal, have been linked to a Michigan paper mill. Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties (PHDM) said 21 cases of blastomycosis have been confirmed while another 76 are suspected. All cases are in employees, contractors or visitors of the Escanaba Billerud Paper