UPDATE: No new blastomycosis cases reported among Escanaba Billerud employees, visitors in last week

ESCANABA, Mich. (WLUC) - As of Friday, May 19, Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties said there have been no additional cases of Blastomycosis reported to its department since May 12.

To date, there have been a total of 118 cases of blastomycosis identified. Fourteen out of the 118 total cases have been hospitalized. All 118 of the cases are either employees, contractors or visitors of the Billerud Paper Mill in Escanaba. There has been one previously reported death associated with this outbreak.

PHDM continues to work with Billerud Paper Mill, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate an outbreak of blastomycosis, a fungal infection, associated with the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill.

Last published: May 12, 2023 3:40:18 PM

Public Health Delta and Menominee Counties (PHDM) said as of Friday, May 12, there are 118 confirmed or probable cases of blastomycosis among employees or visitors of the Escanaba Billerud Mill.

Of the 118 cases, PHDM said 14 have been hospitalized. There has been one previously reported death associated with this outbreak.

The health department said although the number of cases has increased by three over the past week, this does not necessarily indicate that Blastomyces exposures are ongoing. Due to the lengthy incubation time (time from exposure to the fungus to the time one starts to show symptoms) for blastomycosis, it is likely all cases had an exposure prior to the mill idling operations. This incubation period can range from 21 to 90 days.

Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties continues to work with Billerud Paper Mill, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last published: May 9, 2023 1:23:20 PM

As of Friday, May 5, Public Health Delta and Menominee Counties (PHDM) said there are 115 confirmed or probable cases of blastomycosis among employees of or visitors to the Escanaba Billerud Mill.

Fourteen out of the 115 total cases have been hospitalized. All 115 of the cases are either employees, contractors or visitors of the Billerud Paper Mill in Escanaba. There has been one previously reported death associated with this outbreak.

Although the number of cases has increased by 6 over the past week, PHDM said this does not necessarily indicate that Blastomyces exposures are ongoing. Due to the lengthy incubation time (time from exposure to the fungus to the time one starts to show symptoms) for blastomycosis, the department the incubation period can range from 21 to 90 days and it is likely all cases had an exposure prior to the mill idling operations.

The mill announced Monday that it has now resumed operations.

Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties continues to work with Billerud Paper Mill, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate an outbreak of blastomycosis, a fungal infection, associated with the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill.

Blastomycosis is a disease associated with a fungus that grows in moist soil and decomposing matter such as wood and leaves. People can get blastomycosis infection by breathing in fungal spores from the air. Blastomycosis does not spread from person to person or between animals and people.

Last published: Apr 28, 2023 3:41:44 PM

Public Health Delta and Menominee Counties (PHDM) said there are now 109 cases of confirmed or probable blastomycosis associated with the Escanaba Billerud Mill.

Thirteen out of the 109 total cases have been hospitalized. All 109 of the cases are either employees, contractors or visitors of the Billerud Paper Mill in Escanaba.

There has been one previously reported death associated with this outbreak.

Last published: Apr 25, 2023 at 11:36 AM

Halfway through its second visit to the Escanaba Billerud paper mill, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) shared what it has accomplished at the site so far.

The mill is currently idled because of a blastomycosis outbreak among staff and an ongoing investigation into the source.

Between April 20-22 NIOSH said it conducted informational meetings with mill employees. Beginning April 22, investigators began conducting the medical survey, consisting of the antigen urine test and the medical questionnaire. NIOSH said currently, about 500 mill employees are signed up to participate in the survey.

While participation is voluntary, the health organization said it encourages all mill employees and contractors to participate. The more employees that participate, the better NIOSH said it will understand the workplace and potential hazards. Data collection for this portion of the evaluation is expected to take two weeks.

Additionally, a NIOSH team arrived Monday to conduct environmental sampling both inside and outside the mill. There is also a new page on the CDC website dedicated specifically to providing updates about the blastomycosis investigation at the mill. Billerud added a page dedicated to investigation-related updates on its own website as well.

NIOSH first visited the mill between March 27-28 at the request of Billerud when, in conjunction with the CDC and PHDM, it conducted a preliminary onsite Health Hazard Evaluation.

Last published: Apr 21, 2023 5:06:02 PM

Public Health Delta and Menominee Counties (PHDM) said there are now 104 cases of confirmed or probable blastomycosis associated with the Escanaba Billerud Mill.

PHDM said 13 out of the 104 total cases have been hospitalized. All 104 of the cases are either employees, contractors or visitors of the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill. There has been one previously reported death associated with this outbreak.

PHDM provided the updated case numbers in its weekly Friday press release. The department said it will no longer be reporting the number of confirmed and probable cases separately, as all reported cases have a blastomycosis diagnosis.

According to PHDM, it continues to work with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the outbreak that is associated with the Escanaba Billerud Mill. Meanwhile, the mill will be idled for up to three weeks to allow that investigation to continue with fewer people at the site.

Billerud has said it will continue to pay its employees during that time. The company’s Vice President of Operations for Escanaba also told TV6 in an exclusive sit-down interview Thursday that it is currently working on providing worker’s comp to those who are ill.

Blastomycosis is a disease associated with a fungus that grows in moist soil and decomposing matter such as wood and leaves. People can get blastomycosis infection by breathing in fungal spores from the air. Blastomycosis does not spread from person to person or between animals and people.

Those who do get sick can develop symptoms such as cough (sometimes with blood), fever, chest pain, difficulty breathing, night sweats, fatigue, weight loss, muscle aches, and joint pain. Any persons experiencing these symptoms should contact their healthcare provider and discuss whether testing for blastomycosis is recommended. Blastomycosis is treatable with antifungal medicines, but it is important to get diagnosed early. Most people with blastomycosis will need treatment with prescription antifungal medication. Depending on the severity of the infection and the person’s immune status, the course of treatment can range from six months to one year.

Last Published: April 14, 2023

Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties says one person who was working at the Escanaba Billerud Mill has died as a result of blastomycosis infection.

The person who died was a contractor who worked at the mill.

“Everyone at Billerud is deeply saddened by this news,” said Brian Peterson, Billerud Operations Vice President for the Escanaba Mill. “Anyone who works at our facility is part of our team, and we are keeping this individual, their family, coworkers and friends in our thoughts and close to our hearts.”

The announcement of the death comes one day after Billerud said it would temporarily idle the Escanaba paper mill to allow for additional cleaning of the facility based on recommendations from NIOSH. PHDM said is supports this action and is saddened by the news of the death.

“Our heartfelt sympathies and prayers go out to the family, friends and co-workers who have lost their loved one,” said Michael Snyder, Health Officer at PHDM.

To date, there have been 21 confirmed cases and 76 probable cases of blastomycosis identified. A confirmed case is a person with symptoms of blastomycosis and where the fungus has either been grown (culture) or seen by microscope in a test specimen. A probable case is a person with symptoms of blastomycosis and who has a positive antigen or antibody test. Twelve out of the 97 total cases have been hospitalized.

PHDM said all 97 of the cases are either employees, contractors or visitors of the Billerud Paper Mill in Escanaba.

PHDM said continues to work with Billerud Paper Mill, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate an outbreak of blastomycosis, a fungal infection, associated with the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill.

Last published: Apr 11, 2023 4:00:56 PM

Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties (PHDM) continue to investigate an outbreak of blastomycosis associated with the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill.

According to officials, to date, there have been 19 confirmed cases of blastomycosis, a fungal infection, identified.

An additional 74 people have been classified as probable cases. A probable case is a person with symptoms of blastomycosis and who has a positive antigen or antibody test.

Last published April 7, 2023

Public Health Delta & Menominee Counties (PHDM) continue to investigate an outbreak of blastomycosis associated with the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill.

According to officials, to date, there have been 19 confirmed cases of blastomycosis, a fungal infection, identified. A confirmed case is a person with symptoms of blastomycosis and where the fungus has either been grown (culture) or seen by microscope in a specimen.

An additional 62 people have been classified as probable cases. A probable case is a person with symptoms of blastomycosis and who has a positive antigen or antibody test.

At the request of Billerud, on March 27-28, 2023, a preliminary onsite Health Hazard Evaluation was conducted to study the health and safety of the Escanaba mill employees. The evaluation team consisted of outbreak investigators from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Mycology Branch, and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). These experts met with members of management, the mill’s occupational health and safety team, and union representatives. The evaluation will continue as the NIOSH team analyzes data and reviews case investigation information.

PHDM and Billerud will continue to provide updates about cases at the Escanaba Mill and the community at large.

For more about the investigation into blastomycosis among Escanaba mill workers:

Billerud addresses blastomycosis concerns, explains what’s next

Infectious disease professor explains how Blastomycosis impacts the human body

Billerud temporarily idles Escanaba mill in light of continuing blastomycosis investigation

‘Everybody’s interest is the same’: USW Local 21 works with Billerud to find infection source

Delta County health officials explain process of finding source for blastomycosis among Billerud Mill workers

UPDATE: Health experts to conduct hazard study of Billerud Mill workers amid growing numbers of lung infections

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