World News | Michigan Paper Mill Temporarily Closes Due to Fungal Illness

Michigan, Apr 14 (AP) A paper mill in northern Michigan will close for up to three weeks for a scrubbing after authorities confirmed at least 21 cases of a fungal infection among workers since March and dozens more probable cases.

The illness, blastomycosis, is related to a fungus that grows in moist soil and decomposing wood and leaves, according to the public health department in Delta County.

Also Read | Baisakhi 2023 Wishes: Australian PM Anthony Albanese Extends Greetings to Sikh Community on Vaisakhi.

Blastomycosis does not pass from person to person, the department said. Common symptoms are cough, fever, shortness of breath, joint pain and weight loss.

The Billerud Paper Mill in Escanaba, which employs more than 800 people, will close temporarily, the company said Thursday.

Also Read | Myanmar: Drone Attack Kills Eight Children, Injures 31 in Sagaing Region.

The mill will undergo “deep cleaning in high traffic areas through the mill” as well as other steps, including vent inspections, filter replacements and tests on raw materials, said Kevin Kuznicki, president of Billerud North America.

Billerud said in a statement that an industrial outbreak of the fungus has not been “documented anywhere in the US” The company said at least 21 cases have been confirmed in Escanaba.

The health department in early March first publicly disclosed a number of unusual pneumonia infections among mill workers.

The mill produces paper for magazines, catalogs, books and other products. Billerud is based in Sweden. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)