Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffIt's difficult to prevent exposure to the fungus that causes histoplasmosis, especially in parts of the country where the disease is widespread. Even so, these steps can help reduce the risk of infection:
- Spray contaminated soil. Before you work in or dig soil that's likely to harbor H. capsulatum, spray it thoroughly with water. This can help prevent spores from being released into the air. Spraying chicken coops and barns before cleaning them also can reduce your risk.
- Use an effective face mask. This is the best way to protect yourself from soil-borne organisms if you must work in contaminated areas or in caves known to harbor bats. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends using Part 84 particulate respirators certified by NIOSH.
