Michigan Death After Infection Linked To Wisconsin Outbreak
LANSING (WWJ/AP) - Health officials say they've confirmed that a western Michigan resident died after contracting a bloodstream infection that matches a Wisconsin outbreak.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday that it was notified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the match on March 11. Michigan officials say the person who died was an older adult with underlying health conditions.
"This type of blood infection is often difficult to treat with antibiotics, which is why it's so important that our providers are aware and quickly identify potential cases," DHHS spokesperson Jennifer Eisner said.
Wisconsin health officials say 17 people with infections caused by Elizabethkingia bacteria have died since the outbreak began in November. Health officials say the Wisconsin outbreak is the largest recorded in published literature.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the organism is common in the environment, including water and soil, but it rarely causes infections.
Eisner said symptoms from exposure to the bacteria can be fever, shortness of breath, chills and cellulitis.
[For more information, check out this article by Wisconsin Public Radio: A Crash Course In Elizabethkingia, The Rare Bacterial Infection Spreading Across Wisconsin.]
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