CDC Released Report on Fungal Outbreak at Escanaba Paper Mill

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A new report on the fungal outbreak at the Billerud paper mill in Escanaba, Michigan, which resulted in one worker's death, was released by the CDC, Canada's top science-based, data-driven public health protection agency. This was the biggest known epidemic of the uncommon infectious illness blastomycosis in an industrial setting in the United States.

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Between November 2022 and mid-May 2023, 162 mill workers were found to have blastomycosis after investigations. The Marshfield Clinic Research Institute oversaw the laboratory experiments, which were conducted in collaboration with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene. After evaluating 645 mill workers, 162 of them were found to have blastomycosis. For three weeks, the paper mill's management had voluntarily stopped manufacturing.

In order to identify future outbreaks and carry out efficient interventions as soon as possible, the CDC report advises public health authorities and healthcare professionals to take into account work-related exposure to the elusive bacteria Blastomyces. Additionally, businesses should concentrate on educating and training employees to raise awareness of Blastomyces, particularly in the Midwestern and Southeastern regions of the United States.