Family warns cottagers to watch out for fungus

[Guest guest]

Family warns cottagers to watch out for fungus

Last Updated May 9 2005 04:52 PM CDT

http://winnipeg.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?

filename=mb_blastomycosis-

20050509

CBC News

WINNIPEG – A Winnipeg family is warning anyone who vacations in the

Lake of the Woods region to be on the lookout for a rare fungal

disease

that almost killed their son.

In February, 12-year-old Birchard became sick with a fungal

infection called blastomycosis, which the family believes he

contracted

while removing junk from underneath the family cottage.

The disease attacked the boy's skull, requiring brain surgery.

" I was shocked at how much bone had to be removed, " says 's

mother, Heidi. " They wanted to make sure they removed all of the

bone

that had been affected. We talked to the surgeon as he came out of

the

operating room and his words were that the bone had turned into mush

where the fungus had been. "

The Kenora area sees between 60 and 80 cases of blastomycosis per

year,

making it a global hotspot for the disease. Health officials believe

the

acidic, moist soil in woodland areas around Kenora makes it an ideal

breeding ground for microscopic, fungal spores.

However, 's father, Bruce, says he and his wife had never

heard of it

until they had personal contact with it, despite owning a cottage in

the area

for 15 years. The family pushed doctors to test for the disease

after their

dog was diagnosed with blastomycosis the previous summer.

" I don't know what Health Canada is doing, I mean they're not doing

what

they should be doing, " says Bruce Birchard. " We've had all kinds of

other

awareness campaigns out there – SARS, West Nile, BSE. I mean none of

them are as devastating as this disease that's happening in

northwestern

Ontario. "

Wear gloves, masks when working with soil

Birchard wants Health Canada to start a public-awareness campaign

right

away and ensure blastomycosis a reportable disease so proper

statistics

can be tracked.

Health Canada says the list of reportable diseases is decided by a

committee of federal and provincial health officials and that

blastomycosis

wasn't deemed prevalent enough to be on it.

Blastomycosis can cause flu-like symptoms, coughing, pneumonia-type

illness, respiratory problems, skin lesions, or arthritis-like

symptoms. In

rare instances, it can be fatal. Because it mimics many other

diseases, it is

difficult to diagnosis. The disease is treated with anti-fungal

drugs.

Doctors don't know exactly how to prevent blastomycosis, but they

recommend wearing gloves and masks when working in the soil in the

Lake

of the Woods area.