Officials confirm 19 cases of fungal outbreak tied to U.P. paper mill

County health officials in Michigan's Upper Peninsula are investigating a fungal outbreak tied to an Escanaba paper mill that appears to have sickened dozens of people.

The public health agency has 19 confirmed 19 cases of blastomycosis, said Michael Snyder, health officer for the Public Health Department for Delta & Menominee Counties, in a statement released last Friday. The fungus, called Blastomyces, was either grown from a sample from each of those people or detected under a microscope.

But the public health department indicated on Thursday that it wasn't releasing any other information at this time, including the number of those hospitalized. A department employee named Chris, who wouldn't give her last name, said an update would be released Friday by press release.

He also said 74 other people have been identified as probable cases, meaning they tested positive for antibodies.

Blastomyces lives in moist soil and in decomposing wood and leaves, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The fungus is primarily found in the Midwest, south-central and southeastern United States, especially in areas surrounding the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys, the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River.

The CDC said people who breathe in the fungus' microscopic spores from the air can get an infection. Most people don’t get sick, but some can develop a fever and cough. If untreated, an infection from the fungus can become serious. Infections are treated with antifungal medication.

Snyder said the infection is not spread from person to person or between animals and people.

The Public Health Department for Delta & Menominee Counties announced on March 9 that it learned of several lung infections from the fungus in workers of the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill. At that time, it was investigating 15 cases of the disease. The infected began noticing symptoms in January and February, the department said.

It also said it is working with officials with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Billerud Paper Mill's occupational health staff to investigate.

Based in Solna, Sweden, Billerud provides paper and packaging materials through nine facilities in Sweden, the United States and Finland. It has U.S. production facilities in Quinnesec, Mich., and Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc., in addition to Escanaba.

The company has about 5,800 employees in more than 13 countries and serves customers in more than 100 countries.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CharlesERamirez