Michigan paper mill linked to nearly 100 suspected cases of deadly fungus to CLOSE for three weeks
The paper mill in Michigan, the center of what could become one of the largest mold outbreaks in US history, will close for three weeks.
Billerud paper mill in Escanaba, on the state’s upper peninsula, is at the center of an outbreak of blastomycosis. Officials have confirmed infections in 19 people and are suspected to be the cause of 74 other illnesses. ‘About a dozen’ have been hospitalized.
The Swedish company that runs the mill said the closure was a “precautionary measure”. Workers at the factory have told DailyMail.com that infections have continued while the factory has remained open.
The company will use the closure to thoroughly clean busy areas of the factory and the ventilation system and replace filters. It will also test raw materials arriving at the factory to identify the source of the outbreak.
Blastomycosis was first diagnosed at the factory in late February, but Billerud has taken more than a month to order its closure – initially telling staff to wear face masks to prevent infection.
Pictured above is the Billerud paper mill in Escanaba, Michigan’s upper peninsula, where the outbreak was discovered
Experts said the outbreak involving nearly 100 people was extraordinary for its size. Outbreaks normally number fewer than 10 cases, she added
Billerud CEO and President Christoph Michalski said: “As a precautionary measure, we will be temporarily shutting down the Escanaba plant for up to three weeks to allow for additional cleaning based on recommendations from [health authorities].
“This will require larger areas of the mill to stand empty while this work is carried out.”
He added: “Although the source of the infection has not been identified and we have not received any information from the factory [investigators]… that visiting or working in the mill is unsafe, we take this matter very seriously.’
The company said it was first warned about the blastomycosis outbreak in early March, when workers first tested positive for the fungus.
Christoph Michalski, the Billerud CEO who runs the mill, said it was closed as a ‘precautionary measure’
The number of cases has since grown to 21 confirmed cases and 76 probable cases as of April 7, according to the local health department.
All cases are believed to be among factory workers. If the majority of probable cases test positive, that would be the largest outbreak of blastomycosis to date.
The current largest – an outbreak in Wisconsin in 2010 – involved 55 cases, including 30 hospitalizations and two deaths. A source has never been found.
Gerald Kell, leader of the United Steelworkers union representing workers at the plant, says at least a dozen people have been hospitalized.
Some required weeks of hospital care. There are no reports of fatalities associated with the Michigan plant.
Jamie Dier, vice president of the union, told DailyMail.com that those who had become seriously ill “couldn’t breathe” and were “coughing up blood or phlegm.”
Their lungs fill with nodules [of the fungus],” he said, “there are fungal masses on their lungs that prevent them from breathing.”
Mr Dier said he had to battle a six-week infection with the fungus that left him short of breath and fungal nodules in his lungs, but he has since recovered.
Health officials warn that blastomycosis cases are on the rise in the US. In Minnesota, which is also in the Midwest, data shows that infections with the fungus are on the rise
Blastomycosis (stock image of fungus Blastomyces) can cause symptoms similar to a cold in the early stages, but the fungus can then spread to other parts of the body and cause more serious illness
Mill leaders have been working with health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the local Department of Health to bring the outbreak under control.
While the mill is shut down, the company plans to thoroughly clean the ventilation system and replace the filters.
They will also clean “high traffic” areas of the plant, which many workers pass through, and test raw materials arriving at the site for the fungus.
Anyone visiting the mill is also asked to wear an N95 face mask to reduce the risk of infection.
A source of the outbreak has not been identified, although the mold likely arrived on rotten or damp wood in the facility.
Paper produced by the factory is used in magazines and pamphlets, workers say.
Blastomyces is a fungus that lurks in moist soil and leaf litter in the eastern half of the United States.
Humans can inhale its spores, which can infect the lungs and cause a ‘cold’ illness with symptoms such as cough, fever and chest pain.
In severe cases, the fungus spreads from the lungs to other organs, including the muscles, bones, and brain.
The disease has a death rate of about one in 100 patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Medications are available to treat the condition, including antifungal drugs — such as itraconazole — which work by disrupting the wall of fungal cells, causing cell leakage and eventually death.
However, those taking these drugs may need to continue taking them for a year to clear the infection.
The infection also does not spread from person to person, public health officials say.