Cruise ship passengers have more to worry about than COVID-19 on cruise ships. Carnival Cruise lines recently sent a letter that informed their guests that two cases of Legionnaires disease occurred among passengers. The two cases occurred in July and August 2021. Carnival Cruise Line is working with the CDC to investigate this potential outbreak. The ship had not been used since March of last year. Stagnant water increases the risk of Legionella transmission as it creates favorable conditions for Legionella growth. The cruise line has begun substantial mitigation measures on board the ship in question. This includes testing all…
A Legionnaires disease outbreak that occurred in Moncton, Canada, in 2019 has sparked several lawsuits. Twelve of the Sixteen individuals that were known to be infected are suing Organigram, a Moncton based cannabis grower. They allege that Organigram failed to properly test and maintain its cooling towers, which resulted in this outbreak. In 2019, this outbreak hospitalized 15 of the 16 individuals that were infected with Legionnaires’ disease. All the plaintiffs either lived, worked near, or travelled by Organigram before becoming symptomatic. The cases make three main accusations. They allege that Organigram was negligent in maintaining the cooling towers, that…
As recently reported on our blog, there is an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Harlem, NY. Additionally, dozens are sick after they were exposed this month at Duke University’s fantasy basketball camp. All over the country, cases of Legionnaires’ disease appear to be on the rise. Michigan noted an alarming statistic in July of an increase of 569% from July 2020. This is a huge spike in reported Legionnaires’ disease cases, with over 100 cases being reported in Michigan in the first half of July alone. [1] Many individuals are returning to buildings like schools and offices that have been…