Located at 3600 Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee, The Guest House at Graceland is believed to be responsible for three individuals becoming ill with Legionnaires’ disease. The hotel, managed by Pyramid Hotel Group, just opened this past October, and has temporarily closed its hot tub and pool facilities since the reported illnesses. The Shelby County Health Department is currently investigating to identify the source of the outbreak at The Guest House, with hopes to prevent additional illnesses from occurring. Legionnaires’ disease symptoms can appear similar to pneumonia and include coughing, fever, shortness of breath, and muscle aches, and symptoms…
Two separate cases of Legionnaires’ disease among guests of the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino sparked an investigation of the hotel by the Southern Nevada Health District. The guests stayed at the hotel at different times in March and April of 2017. A water sample taken by health officials from the hotel’s water system after the two cases were reported showed presence of Legionella bacteria. The district’s environmental health supervisor, Mark Bergtholdt, reportedly stated that large buildings- such as the Rio hotel- would be common homes to Legionella bacteria due to the complex plumbing systems, in which water may lay stagnant for long periods…
The LA Fitness club located at 12700 South Orange Blossom Trail in Orange County, Florida is one of two LA Fitness clubs in the area that have been under investigation after members contracted Legionnaires’ disease. A few of the water samples taken by the Florida Department of Health from the Blossom Trail facility have now come back positive for Legionella bacteria. This LA Fitness, as well as another location in Metro West have been under investigation since May of this year after a total of four cases of Legionnaires’ disease were found among members. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of…
Four cases of Legionnaires’ disease among members of two different LA fitness clubs in Orange County, Florida has sparked the investigation of the gyms as the possible source of the bacteria. The spas and showers of both the facility on Kirkman Road in Orange County and the Orange Blossom Trail location in Hunter’s Creek were shut down pending the investigation, and notices were issued to club members last week about the signs and symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease. Health officials upon inspection found conditions that would be favorable for the growth of Legionella at the fitness centers. Reportedly, the showers and spas were…
The 23rd Precinct at 162 E. 102nd Street in East Harlem is the common workplace to two police officers that have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. The first officer fell ill with Legionnaires’ disease and was hospitalized, prompting testing of the precinct’s water. Those results were finalized earlier this month, and revealed traces of Legionella bacteria, the bacteria responsible for causing Legionnaires’ disease. The Health Department is reportedly investigating the second case of Legionnaires’ disease, but has not yet determined if the precinct’s water is responsible for this officer’s illness. Inspectors are looking towards the pipes at the station house as…
A former resident of the long-term health care facility in South Strabane Township in Washington, Pennsylvania has been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. It is reported that the former resident was “in and out of a number of facilities,” and preliminary testing of the facility at 90 Humbert Lane was negative for Legionella bacteria. As a precaution, the residents, staff, and visitors to the facility are being provided bottled water and bagged ice, and shower use is restricted. The final testing results are expected to be in by the end of the week. If you believe you or someone you know has…
Over the past few weeks, several news reports have shed light on three Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks occurring in different areas in the United States. Each of these Outbreaks (New York City with multiple locations, The LA Fitness Gym and the Las Vegas Outbreak at the Rio Hotel) have resulted in multiple victims who contracted the disease including one woman who died as a result of Legionnaires’ disease as part of the NYC Outbreak. These three outbreaks continue the trend that we have seen over the last 15 years. Legionnaires’ disease is on the rise. According to a Dailymail.com article, the…
Hotel officials stated Tuesday that the Rio All-Suite’s water has been disinfected, but said it will take another couple weeks for test results before regional health officials can certify the property as bacteria-free. This after, officials from Caesars Entertainment confirmed that the bacteria had been found in at least one of the Rio’s two towers. The officials were not clear on the details of where exactly legionella, the bacteria which causes Legionnaires’ disease, was found on the hotel property. You or someone you know stayed at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas and have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, please,…
Legionella, the Legionnaires’ disease causing bacteria, is ubiquitous in the natural environment, especially in damp soil and water. While the organism is present more or less everywhere, water temperatures of 72–107 °F are ideal conditions for rapid growth. This explains why outbreaks of Legionnaire’s disease become more common in the summer months and have often been linked to contaminated artificial water systems – especially air conditioning units in large buildings which use water for cooling. Studies of associations between weather variables and sporadic cases of legionnaires’ disease suggest that as temperatures rise globally so too does the prevalence of environments conducive to legionella growth.…
Two people were hospitalized with Legionnaires’ disease after visiting the Foothill Ranch community pool and spa located at 27021 Burbank in Foothill Ranch, California. While it was originally unclear whether or not the community pool and spa was the cause of these illnesses, testing performed by the Orange County Health Care Agency revealed that three samples from the spa tested positive for Legionella bacteria. Legionella bacteria can be found in warm hot tub water when it is not properly cleaned or disinfected. When this water becomes aerosolized and inhaled through the lungs, a person may contract Legionnaires disease, a severe type of…