Illness at eastern Illinois prison likely caused by fungus
Posted: Sep 13, 2013 7:23 PM GYS
By Samantha Jeffreys
SPRINGFIELD (WREX) – Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe an illness at the Danville prison was likely caused by fungus, not a virus.
CDC experts are running tests at the prison, where inmates began falling ill in late August. About 100 of the prison’s 1,800 inmates have been affected.
The Illinois Department of Public Health believes the illness has been caused by histoplasmosis, a fungus found in some Illinois soil that can be inhaled. However, some false-positive tests initially led authorities to believe the illness was caused by the adenovirus.
Department of Corrections spokesman Tom Shaer says the illness is not contagious and the prison has not seen a new case in a week.