Township Worker Contracts Disease From Bird, Bat Feces
Officials To Post Warning About Potential Health Risks
POSTED: Monday, September 13, 2004
UPDATED: 7:16 pm EDT September 13,
2004
Officials in Huron Township have posted a warning about a potential health risk after an employee contracted a potentially fatal disease, according to Local 4 reports.
A police detective who works at Huron Township Hall was diagnosed with histoplasmosis, a disease that primarily affects the lungs.
The cause of the his illness was reportedly traced back to bird and bat feces found in the building.
Histoplasmosis is a disease caused by the fungus
Histoplasma capsulatum, which grows in soil and material contaminated with bat or bird droppings, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Web site.
Doctors had to remove a portion of the detective's lung to treat the illness.
Township officials say other employees have also reported having health problems, but it was not known if they were related to the disease.
The disease is not transmitted from an infected person to someone else, according to the CDC.
The township was in the process of working with the Michigan Department of Community Health to have other employees tested.
A warning was posted at the township hall about the potential health risks upon entering the building.
Environmental officials were meeting with community leaders to determine if the building should be torn down.
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