'Blasto' warning issued

By Kurt Krueger
News-Review Editor

For the first time in history, health officials have issued a statewide warning for residents to be on the lookout for the mysterious disease blastomycosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal fungal infection.

“Blastomycosis may be misdiagnosed and treated as pneumonia, so individuals are urged to talk to their physicians if they have continual, persistent pneumonia-like symptoms to help ensure early detection and treatment of the fungus,” said Dr. Jeffrey Davis, state epidemiologist for communicable diseases. 

The warning comes in September because case histories have shown more infections occur in the wet months of spring and fall, he said.

In the three-year period between January 2005 and December 2007, blastomycosis was related to the deaths of five people in Vilas and Oneida counties — 12% of the 40 confirmed cases.

And those figures from the Department of Health Ser-vices do not include the death of 16-year-old Emmett Klessig of Eagle River, who died Jan. 5 of this year.

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