The search for the source of a lung infection outbreak in Constance Lake First Nation is still ongoing, says Chief Ramona Sutherland.
Constance Lake First Nation has declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak of blastomycosis in the community.
Currently, there are 12 confirmed cases, nine probable cases and 119 people under investigation. The latter means 119 people are going with symptoms to get checked out at the Hôpital Notre-Dame Hospital in Hearst, the chief said in an update on Facebook Dec. 7.
Three people recently died in the community. It’s not confirmed if it was due to the infection but it’s “very likely”, Sutherland said earlier in an interview.
Blastomycosis is an infection caused by a fungus found in soil, wet wood or mould. The symptoms of the infection are feeling unwell, difficulty breathing, chills, fever and fatigue.
Sutherland continues to urge people with any symptoms to go to the hospital.
“Continue to go to the ER. If you go to the hospital and someone suspects you have blasto, treatment will happen immediately,” she said in the virtual update. “Early detection means treatment can start right away. This is all treatable.”
The Porcupine Health Unit, Matawa and Four Rivers are conducting investigations to determine how the outbreak started.
So far, all 29 samples that were taken have come back negative, according to the chief.
“There will be extensive search to find the source of this problem. I don’t think we’ll rest easy even if one source was found,” she said.
Indigenous Services Canada spokesperson Nicolas Moquin confirmed the environmental results that have been analyzed by a Toronto-based Sporometrics Inc. have all come back negative.
"This result is not abnormal due to the difficulty in isolating blastomyces spores from environmental samples. Additional test results are forthcoming," he said in an email.
Moquin also said the cases of blastomycosis have not been linked to residential homes.
"The investigation is not leading us in that direction," he said.
In the Dec. 2 post on Facebook, Constance Lake First Nation said the possible sources for investigation were the old woodpile and the wood chip/ sawdust pile.
While it wasn’t proven to be the source of the infection, the community recommended people stay away from the woodpile and the chip pile, and not to use wood or remove anything from the pile.
The hospitals in Ottawa, Timmins, North Bay, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie are having daily meetings to talk about patient transfers and discharges, according to the chief.
“I’m happy to report I was able to hug some people today that were out of town,” Sutherland said. “I saw them in the community and was really happy to give them a hug and say, ‘Welcome back home.'"
Today, Dec. 8, Jane Mattinas Health Centre and WAHA paramedics will be providing drop-in wellness checks for all community members at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the health centre. If you need a ride, call Hannah at 705-362-3959 or the after-hours medical driver at 705-362-2155.
There are counsellors, traditional healers and elders in the community to provide mental health support including for youth. Call 705-463-2155 for an appointment.
There will also be two Q&A sessions for on- and off-reserve band members this week.
Wednesday, Dec. 8, a session will be held with the doctors and an environmental expert. It starts at 6 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 9, there will be a virtual meeting at 6 p.m. to review sites and various points of interest that need to be investigated.
“We’ll have a map with these investigators. They’re taking samples from different spots that were identified as points of interest by the community,” Sutherland said. “We’ll be discussing the map and the samples that were taken.”
For Zoom links, email [email protected].