{"id":2570983,"date":"2026-02-18T09:23:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T14:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-officials-forced-to-sound-the-alarms-over-fungal-std-outbreak\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T09:26:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T14:26:38","slug":"minnesota-officials-forced-to-sound-the-alarms-over-fungal-std-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minnesota-officials-forced-to-sound-the-alarms-over-fungal-std-outbreak\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota Officials Forced to Sound the Alarms Over Fungal STD Outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fminnesota-officials-forced-to-sound-the-alarms-over-fungal-std-outbreak%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2570983&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports Minnesota facing a new health crisis: an outbreak of Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII (TMVII), a dermatophyte fungus that causes ringworm and can be transmitted through sexual contact. the first statewide case was confirmed in July 2025, and as then more than 30 cases have been documented, marking it as the largest TMVII outbreak in the United States. TMVII was first linked to genital infections in June 2024 in New York, and is described as a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >recently emerged fungus capable<\/a> of widespread ringworm infections. Transmission is mainly via skin-to-skin contact,with spores able to spread through shared surfaces such as gym equipment.The groups at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/george-w-bush-releases-statement-on-afghanistan-calling-on-u-s-to-accept-refugees\/\" title=\"George W. Bush Releases Statement On Afghanistan Calling On U.S. To Accept Refugees\">greatest risk<\/a> include men who have sex with men and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-raid-of-sean-diddy-combs-mansion-turned-up-weapons-other-disturbing-items-report\/\" title=\"Federal Raid of Sean \u2018Diddy\u2019 Combs&#039; Mansion Turned Up Weapons, Other Disturbing Items: Report\">commercial sex workers<\/a>, though anyone can become infected. Primary symptoms are round red rashes that can be itchy and painful, ofen affecting the genital area, buttocks, thighs, and abdomen.Treatment typically lasts six to eight weeks, sometimes extending to 12 weeks for more advanced cases; immunocompromised individuals or those with a history of STDs are at higher risk. Officials caution that TMVII can be mistaken for eczema and emphasize that it is a fungal infection that can be transmitted sexually.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>And the hits just keep on coming for the Gopher State.<\/p>\n<p>While Minnesota grapples with the fallout from its own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/minnesota-gov-tim-walz-ag-keith-ellison-set-testify-congress-massive-fraud-allegations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fraud scandals<\/a> and Immigration and Customs Enforcement-related <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-tom-homan-announces-end-major-ice-surge-minnesota\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">issues<\/a>, the beleaguered state now has a massive health problem festering within its borders.<\/p>\n<p>On Feb. 11, the Minnesota Department of Health put out a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.state.mn.us\/communities\/ep\/han\/2026\/feb11tmvii.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">release<\/a> noting the sudden outbreak of TMVII (pronounced: T-M-Seven), or <em>Trichophyton mentagrophytes<\/em> genotype VII.<\/p>\n<p>The release explained, &ldquo;<em>Trichophyton mentagrophytes<\/em> genotype VII (TMVII) is a recently emerged dermatophyte fungus that can cause tinea (ringworm) associated with sexual contact.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It would go on to note that the first case of genital ringworm associated with TMVII was recorded in June 2024 in New York.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Minnesota has since become ground zero for TMVII.<\/p>\n<p>In July 2025, the first case in the state was confirmed. Since then, over 30 confirmed or suspected cases have been reported, &ldquo;resulting in the largest known outbreak of TMVII in the United States.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;CDC is aware of other sporadic cases of TMVII among men who have sex with men, primarily in larger cities across the U.S. TMVII can cause severe ringworm, often involving the genitals, buttock, thigh and abdominal areas,&rdquo; the release said.<\/p>\n<p>The primary symptom is round, red rashes that spread across the body. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/health\/state-confirms-outbreak-sexually-transmitted-fungal-infection-experts-urge-caution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a> noted that these rashes will often turn itchy and painful.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The problems keep piling on in Minnesota. Now, health officials are warning about the spread of Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII, or TMVII. Gross. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Al31tsXlXB\">pic.twitter.com\/Al31tsXlXB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mean McNugget (@mean_nugget) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mean_nugget\/status\/2023930281267200385?\">February 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;TMVII is a specific type of fungus that is part of a larger family that causes the usually benign but irksome conditions such as ringworm, jock itch and athlete&rsquo;s foot,&rdquo; one doctor explained to Fox News.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The symptoms are similar to that of the usual cases of ringworm or jock itch and depend on the part of the body that became infected,&rdquo; the doctor added. &ldquo;These usually manifest as round, itchy spots that may have a rough appearance and could be mistaken as eczema.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The fungal infection spreads primarily through skin-to-skin contact. But fungal spores can also spread through communal contact, like with gym equipment, for instance.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, TMVII appears to be the only fungal sexually transmitted disease.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The populations currently at greatest risk are men who have sex with men and commercial sex workers; however, the infection can be spread from any infected individual,&rdquo; a medical professor told Fox News.<\/p>\n<p>Treatment for TMVII generally takes six to eight weeks, though in some advanced cases, it can take as long as 12 weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are immunocompromised and\/or a having a history of STDs are at higher risk of infection.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrased summary of the main points, without the code and extraneous text:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Minnesota is dealing with an outbreak of Trichophyton mentagrophytes genotype VII (TMVII), a dermatophyte fungus that can cause tinea (ringworm) linked to sexual contact.<br \/>\n&#8211; TMVII was first tied to genital ringworm in June 2024 in New York.<br \/>\n&#8211; Minnesota\u2019s timeline: the first statewide case was confirmed in July 2025, and more than 30 confirmed or suspected cases have since been reported, marking the largest TMVII outbreak in the United States to date.<br \/>\n&#8211; Transmission and symptoms: the infection spreads mainly through skin-to-skin contact, and fungal spores can spread via communal surfaces such as gym equipment. Symptoms typically appear as round, red, itchy rashes that may be painful, depending on the infected area, and can resemble eczema.<br \/>\n&#8211; At-risk groups and public health notes: while those at greatest risk are men who have sex with men and commercial sex workers, the infection can spread from any infected person. Treatment usually lasts six to eight weeks, potentially up to twelve weeks in more advanced cases. Immunocompromised individuals and those with a history of sexually transmitted diseases are at higher risk.<br \/>\n&#8211; Overall context: Minnesota\u2019s outbreak has drawn national attention as the largest known TMVII outbreak in the United States, with ongoing public health monitoring and guidance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2570984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-18T002704.684.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[74018,5698,3638,52180,32068],"class_list":["post-2570983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-fungal-std","tag-minnesota","tag-officials","tag-outbreak-2","tag-public-health"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-18T002704.684.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2570983"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570987,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570983\/revisions\/2570987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2570983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2570983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2570983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}