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…
A man in his 50s has died from Legionnaires’ disease that he contracted while using a hot spring in Mihara, Hiroshima. He is thought to have visited the facility in early March and was hospitalized with pneumonia like symptoms including shortness of breath and fever shortly after. In addition to the deceased man, 39 people who have all visited the “Miharashi Onsen” hot spring have also been experiencing pneumonia-like symptoms. Of the 39 people, in ages ranging from 30-80, 37 have been hospitalized with two in serious condition. Legionella pneumophila has been detected in all of the people complaining of…
An emergency has been declared in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. A Legionella bacterium has been found in the water systems in multiple apartment buildings resulting in the Emergency Commission activating an emergency operations center to handle it. Two apartment blocks in the Zirmunai neighborhood tested positive for the bacteria that causes Legionnaires disease and a third block in the Lazdynai neighborhood is being tested. “We have two deaths and a third incident is still under investigation. This affects over 500 people because there are three buildings and it takes more than 24 hours to eliminate (the emergency situation). Based…
The Ohio Department of Health, in collaboration with the Lake County General Health district, has confirmed the cooling tower of a local business as the source of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. The outbreak, which began in July, seems to have had several sources, and the cooling tower has been linked to at least three of the ten cases. Health officials announced that an environmental assessment at Consolidated Precision Products, a business in Eastlake, revealed the presence of Legionella bacteria on November 16, 2016. At least three cases of Legionnaires’ disease were reported in September among individuals who had spent time in the…
Residents of an assisted living facility on Staten Island have been informed of a single case of Legionnaires’ disease on the premises. The unidentified patient is a resident of The Brielle at Seaview, a non-profit assisted living community, and has been discharged from care. No further information about the patient has been released. The notification is part of a city-wide plan implemented after last year’s Bronx outbreaks. Part of the newly instituted plan involves notifying facilities with high-risk populations when one or more cases are reported. The Brielle, with its aging population, falls into this category, though health officials noted that…
An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in upstate New York continues to grow. A fifth case has now been confirmed in Plattsburgh, NY. All of the patients live in the same apartment complex on the west side of the city, and officials have notified other residents of the complex about the outbreak. The first four cases were identified in October. The patients have been treated at the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital; the first four patients have been discharged, and the final patient remains at the hospital in stable condition. The Clinton County Health Department has been collecting water samples from the apartment…
Three members of one family have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease in upstate New York. The three cases were not geographically linked and did not begin at the same time. Niagara officials have yet to determine the possible sources of the bacteria, but investigation is ongoing. Richard Jepson, 68, was a resident of Lockport, NY. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer but was hospitalized briefly with Legionnaires’ disease in July before passing away at the Buffalo General Hospital on July 22, 2016. Six weeks after Mr. Jepson’s death, his stepdaughter Debra Trammell, 50, and his ex-wife Patricia Lord, 70, were…
A resident of a county-run nursing home in Pennsylvania was diagnosed on October 24 with Legionnaires’ disease, and officials believe she contracted it from her residence. McKeesport Regional Care Center, where the woman lives, has taken measures to guard against the possibility of further cases. The woman was hospitalized and diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease at UPMC McKeesport. After being informed of the case, management at McKeesport RCC distributed bottled water and put the water system at the nursing home out of commission. They also sent a letter informing patients and their families about the diagnosis. Management also sampled water from…
Thirteen cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Saratoga Springs, NY have prompted health officials to launch an investigation. After extensive testing, a nursing home in the area has reported the presence of Legionella bacteria in its water system. Nine of the thirteen cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the city have been linked to the Wesley Health Care Center, and two of the patients suffering from the disease have died. State health officials recommended that management at Wesley, a nursing home and health campus, test their water supply. Nearly forty water samples were taken from the campus. Results have now returned and indicate that Legionella bacteria is…
Legionnaires’ disease has caused a second death in Niagara County, state health officials report. County Public Health Director Daniel Stapleton stated that the second victim had “underlying health conditions”, but no specific information about the patient has yet been released. Eight cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been reported in Lockport, NY The first death was that of a man who lived near the Eastern Niagara Hospital. A cooling tower on hospital property was recently found to have elevated levels of Legionella bacteria. Routine state-mandated tests revealed the colony of bacteria in the cooling tower in September. The hospital sanitized and retested the…