Minnesota health officials are seeing an increase in blastomycosis cases this year, according to WCCO-TV.
Each year, a median of 34 blastomycosis cases are reported in Minnesota. Recently these numbers have increased; in 2018, 58 cases were reported, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
Blastomycosis is a rare fungal infection with a 10 percent fatality rate in Minnesota. Humans contract the infection after breathing in microscopic spores of the fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis, which thrives in moist soils and wooded areas. Health officials cited favorable environmental conditions as the likely reason for the rise in blastomycosis cases.
Symptoms usually appear three weeks to three months after inhalation of fungal spores and include fever, cough, night sweats, muscle aches/joint pain, weight loss, chest pain and fatigue. The infection can also spread to the skin, bones and joints, and central nervous system.
For more information on blastomycosis, click here.