Hurricane-Associated Mold Exposures Among Patients at Risk for Invasive Mold Infections After Hurricane Harvey - Houston, Texas, 2017.

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused unprecedented flooding and devastation to the Houston metropolitan area (1). Mold exposure was a serious concern because investigations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005) had documented extensive mold growth in flood-damaged homes (2,3). Because mold exposure can cause serious illnesses known as invasive mold infections (4,5), and immunosuppressed persons are at high risk for these infections (6,7), several federal agencies recommend that immunosuppressed persons avoid mold-contaminated sites (8,9). To assess the extent of exposure to mold and flood-damaged areas among persons at high risk for invasive mold infections after Hurricane Harvey, CDC and Texas health officials conducted a survey among 103 immunosuppressed residents in Houston. Approximately half of the participants (50) engaged in cleanup of mold and water-damaged areas; these activities included heavy cleanup (23), such as removing furniture or removing drywall, or light cleanup (27), such as wiping down walls or retrieving personal items. Among immunosuppressed persons who performed heavy cleanup, 43% reported wearing a respirator, as did 8% who performed light cleanup. One participant reported wearing all personal protective equipment (PPE) recommended for otherwise healthy persons (i.e., respirator, boots, goggles, and gloves). Immunosuppressed residents who are at high risk for invasive mold infections were exposed to mold and flood-damaged areas after Hurricane Harvey; recommendations from health care providers to avoid exposure to mold and flood-damaged areas could mitigate the risk to immunosuppressed persons.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner reports grants and personal fees from Astellas, personal fees from Merck & Co., grants and personal fees from Pfizer, grants and personal fees from Cidara, grants and personal fees from Scynexis, personal fees from F2G, grants from Amplyx, personal fees from Mayne, personal fees from Gilead, personal fees from NovaDigm, personal fees from United Medical, and personal fees from Stendhal outside the submitted work. Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis reports honoraria for lectures from Merck & Co., Gilead, and United Medicine and also reports consulting fees from Merck & Co., Astellas, Cidara, Amplyx, and Mayne. No other potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.