On Monday, May 8th Samaritan Medical Center, in Watertown, NY, reported that it had found legionella bacteria in the hospital’s water system while conducting quarterly water quality tests. The spokesperson for Samaritan Medical Center stated that the levels of legionella bacteria were low and that the remediation of the hospital’s water system would be conducted by the next day. As of now there have been no cases of Legionnaires’ Disease reported by the Jefferson County Department of Health or Samaritan Medical Center. More information about the discovery of legionella bacteria can be found here. Jules Zacher is an attorney in Philadelphia…
A team of researchers from the fields of both public health and environmental engineering has released some findings from an 18 month long investigation into the outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease in Flint. The Flint Area Community Health and Environment Partnership conducted random water sampling of Genesee County households in the Fall of 2016. The team found legionella bacteria in 12% of the 200 tested households, which according to the researchers is what is considered to be a normal amount nationwide. The team found 18 different isolates of Legionella pneumophila. The most common serogroup found by the researchers, by far, was…
According to the World Health Organization, males are three times more likely to acquire Legionnaires’ Disease than women. (source) As of now, there is no vaccine for Legionnaires’ Disease. The most common form of treatment is typically antibiotics. 75% of reported Legionnaires’ Disease cases are aged 50 years and older. (source) Legionnaires’ Disease is most likely to occur in the summer months. This is because legionella bacteria thrives in warmer water. (source) While Legionnaires’ Disease is typically transmitted by aerosolized water droplets, there have been numerous outbreaks of Legionnaires’ Disease that have been caused by legionella bacteria found in potting…
An apartment complex for seniors in Reynoldsburg, Ohio has been found to contain legionella bacteria. The residents, numbering around one hundred, have been advised by the Franklin County Health Department to not shower or use tap water at the complex. The legionella bacteria was found as part of a Health Department investigation focusing on the apartment complex. The investigation was initiated as a result of five residents acquiring Legionnaires’ Disease in the past year. The complex is now undergoing flushing and remediation of its water system. So far there has been no confirmed exact source of the legionella bacteria. The Health…
According to a CDC report based on 27 different outbreaks investigated by the CDC from 2000-2014, released last year, found that hotels and resorts are the most common source of Legionnaires’ Disease outbreaks in the United States. Hotels and resorts were 25 percentage points ahead of long term care facilities and other health care related facilities. Senior living facilities, workplace, and community-associated outbreaks were each found to be responsible for 7% of Legionnaires’ Disease outbreaks. Travel associated outbreaks (hotels and resorts) were found to be the most common source of outbreaks but were also found to have the lowest median fatality rate at…
According to data from the CDC, the number of deaths caused by Legionnaires’ Disease has just about tripled over the past two decades. In 2002 there was 63 deaths directly attributed to Legionnaires’ Disease. The CDC reported 170 deaths caused by Legionnaires’ Disease in 2015, the most recent year that was analyzed. When Legionnaires’ Disease is taken into account as a contributing factor to death, the number of deaths in 2015 increases to 217. Legionnaires’ Disease is the underlying cause of death in 78.3% of fatalities associated with the disease. The data also shows that the mortality rate for Legionnaires’ Disease…
On Wednesday, six plaintiffs, represented by Mr. Zacher, have been awarded a total of $1,100,000.00 as a result of acquiring Legionnaires’ Disease at Integrated Health Campus, an Allentown medical office complex. More info regarding the case can be found here and here.
A recent CDC study of the presence of legionella in our nation’s cooling has produced concerning results. Water from 190+ cooling towers from around the country was collected and tested for the presence of legionella bacteria. The CDC found that 84% of those water samples contained at least DNA traces of legionella bacteria. The study also found that 79 of the 196 (~40%) surveyed cooling towers contained live legionella bacteria. These findings were enough for the study’s head researcher, Dr. Anna Llewellyn, to refer to legionella as being “ubiquitous in U.S. cooling towers”. Cooling towers have been strongly associated with outbreaks of Legionnaires’…
If a company or organization in the UK fails to prevent the spread of legionella on their premises and someone dies of Legionnaires’ Disease as a result, the company could face a charge of corporate manslaughter. As of now, a town council and a discount home improvement warehouse have faced corporate manslaughter charges as a result of Legionnaires’ Disease outbreaks. Following an outbreak of the flu that affected around 120 people who had attended a party at the Playboy Mansion, tests on the mansion’s pool and hot tub showed positive results for legionella bacteria. Though the first officially recorded Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak…
Legionella infections are most commonly associated with cooling towers, hot tubs, pools, showers, and decorative fountains. However, exposure to legionella bacteria can occur through other, more obscure means. Legionellosis (Legionnaires’ Disease) manifests when aerosolized droplets containing legionella bacteria make their way into a patient’s lungs. Legionella bacteria typically is inhaled in through water droplets, but contaminated soil has been found to cause Legionnaires’ Disease on numerous occasions. In Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Japan, more attention has been paid to the potential risks of acquiring Legionnaires’ Disease or Pontiac Fever from contaminated potting soil. In New Zealand, there was 121 reported…