Histoplasmosis, a rare and serious fungal infection, has left more than 30 people affected and has been linked to at least one death.
Health officials are currently investigating where the infections came from, a situation that has unsettled local residents and raised concerns among public health authorities.
Family members have confirmed that Alyssia Brown passed away after testing positive for the fungal infection in December.
Her mother, who lives in Knoxville, said the test results only came back a few days after her daughter had already died.
One of those who survived is 14-year-old Eli Stinson from Thompson’s Station, who first became sick after developing a fever around Halloween.
His mother, Cari Stinson, said she saw her normally active son grow increasingly tired. She realized something was wrong, especially since he typically has a very strong immune system.
It wasn’t until someone sent her an article about histoplasmosis that things began to click.
She pushed for doctors to run the specific test, and the results later came back positive.
What Is Histoplasmosis?
Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection that develops when someone inhales spores from the Histoplasma fungus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that the infection is not contagious and cannot be passed from person to person or between humans and pets such as cats or dogs.
The infection can lead to symptoms ranging from mild to extremely serious, including illnesses such as pneumonia or meningitis; in many cases, it is misidentified or diagnosed too late
Cari said her family isn’t the only one in the neighborhood getting sick, and it’s got them worried that a nearby construction site might be part of the problem.
While Eli has been able to return to his regular routine, he is still dealing with some lasting effects.
He said he feels increasingly tired as the day goes on, and said that his friends have started calling him “mushroom boy” because of the infection.
Eli still needs regular follow-up visits with his doctors to monitor of his recovery.
So far, state health officials haven’t determined a definite source for the fungal outbreak. They’re suggesting that anyone at higher risk wear a mask like an N95 when doing things that might be considered high risk.
