The continuing saga of Legionella at the Golden Sands Condominium advanced this week when recent tests showed the presence of the bacteria in the water once again. After two guests contracted Legionnaires’ disease at the Maryland facility last November, management launched a treatment plan and disinfected the building’s water system with chlorine. Subsequent tests indicated that the bacteria was under control. At the end of June, however, two more guests of the condo contracted Legionnaires’. As required by the local health department, management began to conduct biweekly tests of the building and alerted tenants of the risk. The results of…
A pair of Legionnaires’ disease cases seem to have originated at the same apartment complex in Harlem. Two individuals who spent time at the Savoy Park Apartments on W 139th Street have been diagnosed with the disease over the past ten months; both have since recovered Investigators say that these cases should not be considered as part of an outbreak. Still, the city’s health department has been proactive in its response. These cases come in the wake of the deadly August 2015 outbreak of Legionnaires’ in the south Bronx, and health officials are on high alert. Once an investigation was…
A new study by a team at Virginia Tech has linked the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Flint, MI to the city’s decision to switch its water supply. Flint suffered a surge in cases of Legionnaires’ disease from 2014 to 2015, with nearly 100 people sickened and 12 deaths. The death toll could have been higher, as Legionnaires’ disease often masquerades as pneumonia and goes unreported. Health officials assumed that the city’s decision to switch its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River was to blame, but no tests were done at the time of the outbreak. (An…
More cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been reported at an Illinois veterans’ home. The facility has been trying to prevent Legionella infection since an outbreak last August during which 54 people were sickened and 12 died. On Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs revealed two cases of Legionnaires’ disease that originated at the Quincy Illinois Veterans’ Home. Health officials said that the patients contracted the disease from separate buildings. The patients were treated at a hospital and are now recovering in the veterans’ home. These new cases come at a difficult time for the Quincy facility, which recently refurbished…
A retirement community in Maryland is once again struggling to contain Legionella bacteria in its water supply. Three residents of the Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant in Ellicott City, Maryland were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease in late May of this year. County health officials shut off the water after determining that the retirement community was the source of the bacteria. After testing and treating the water, officials turned it back on in early July. The retirement community intended to continue testing until the water was shown to be clear of Legionella. These tests have now shown that there is still…
A possible source of Legionella infection in Australia has been managed, officials say, thanks to mandatory testing and water treatment programs. The Cunnamulla Hospital in Queensland, Australia conducted regular tests for Legionella bacteria in its water supply, as mandated by Queensland lawmakers. These tests revealed the presence of bacteria earlier this July. Hospital officials shut off water before patients or staff were at risk and chlorinated the water. Further tests have now indicated that the bacteria is gone, though the hospital will continue to monitor the situation. A spokesperson for the hospital pointed out that many facilities in the area…
As Philadelphia prepares for a four-day convention in the heat of July, some residents are recalling another convention forty years ago and hoping that news will be made by politicians rather than CDC officials. The American Legion convention of July 21-24, 1976, where over 200 people were sickened and 34 died, is now remembered for sparking the first public health crisis covered by modern mass media. In an opinion piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Marc Weingarten of Locks Law Firm discusses the discovery of the disease and its implications on public health funding and research. The suffering of those who…
A water management company has been accused of failure to carry out required tests after several people became ill with Legionnaires’ disease at a New Zealand plant. Solenis New Zealand is a branch of the Delaware-based water treatment company Solenis. The company was contracted by the multinational dairy company Fonterra to manage water quality at its plant in Pahiatua, New Zealand. After 13 people who worked at or near the plant became ill with Legionnaires’ disease or Pontiac fever, an investigation into Solenis’ testing practices was carried out. WorkSafe, the New Zealand government agency that oversees workplace health and safety,…
Reports from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office state that an inmate at the Cook County Jail in Chicago has been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. The inmate had originally been hospitalized on July 6 with symptoms resembling pneumonia, and he eventually tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease. Officials say that this is an isolated incident and that none of the man’s cellmates or members of the prison staff have demonstrated symptoms. Still, they have moved the inmate to Stroger Hospital in Chicago, and facilities managers are investigating potential sources of the disease. Check our blog for updates to this story. Jules Zacher is an…
Legislation mandating that hospitals conduct routine tests for Legionella has paid off in Australia, where a Queensland hospital caught the bacteria in its water supply before patients were infected. A deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 2013 prompted lawmakers to require that hospitals perform regular tests for Legionella. As a result of such tests, the Cunnamulla Hospital in southwestern Queensland reported last week that its water system contained Legionella bacteria. Hospital officials responded by chlorinating the water system, replacing water fixtures, and retesting the water supply. Thanks to the mandatory tests and the quick action of the hospital officials, no…