Two patients at the Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue, WA were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease in September. One, a patient in her 50s, was treated for the disease at a different hospital six days after she visited Overlake’s emergency department. The other, a man in his 60s, had been in the hospital for treatment when he contracted the disease. The male patient had a compromised immune system due to a preexisting medical condition. Hospital officials have stated that it is unclear where the second patient contracted the disease. Preliminary tests, however, showed the presence of Legionella bacteria in a sink and an ice machine in the hospital, and the hospital is taking measures to stop the spread of the disease. Overlake’s news comes after an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at the nearby UW Medical Center in Seattle. At least five people there contracted the disease, and the medical center flushed the water system with chlorine and installed filters on sinks. No new cases have been reported since the remediation began. One of the patients infected has initiated legal action against the hospital. More information is available here. Jules Zacher is an attorney in Philadelphia who has tried Legionnaires’ disease cases across the U.S. Please visit LegionnaireLawyer.com again for updates.
Washington hospital reports two cases of Legionnaires’ disease was last modified: October 19th, 2016 by