The number of confirmed cases of a rare, deadly fungus that has sickened survivors of the Joplin tornado has risen to 12, according to the federal agency that is investigating the disease. Five people with the fungal infections have died, but Kristen Nordlund, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, said it was unclear if the five deaths are included in the 12 confirmed cases of the fungal infection, mucormycosis. A team of investigators from the CDC is in Joplin trying to pinpoint whether there are risk factors associated with people who got the disease. They expect to be there about two weeks. Mucormycosis might have a fatality rate of 50 percent or higher. The spores can infect people with traumatic injuries, but the fungal infections are rare in healthy people and clusters of them are even rarer. Health officials have not said if the infections have been tied to a specific species of fungus.
(via News-leader.com)