Faltec Europe Ltd, a car parts firm in the UK, has admitted charges relating to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease and an explosion on it’s premises. In 2015 the factory was ordered to shut down four cooling towers by the Health and Safety Executive following the discovery of significant levels of legionella were found on site. Between October 2014 and May 2015 four workers and a nearby resident were hospitalized. In September 2015 the company was given the all clear after following safety measures. Another investigation by the Health and Safety Executive relates to the explosion risks at the plant in…
Last month, famed environmental activist Erin Brockovich and the Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease joined forces in Albany to draw attention to the continued rise of Legionnaires’ cases in New York even after the deadly 2014-2015 outbreaks in the Bronx. According to the report released by the Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease, New York State leads the nation in Legionnaires’ cases. The report estimates that in 2016 14% of all U.S cases of Legionnaires’ Disease occurred in New York. The report states that the state’s regulatory focus on water cooling towers neglects what they consider to be the real problem. The…
53-year-old New Zealand resident, Susan Dromgool, slipped into a two-week coma after contracting Legionnaires’ disease in December 2016. She had been using potting soil to plant succulents and believed she had taken the appropriate safety measures since she wore gloves and used the potting mix in a well-ventilated area. However, the evening after planting the succulents, she began to experience chills and her symptoms progressively got worse. She was admitted to the hospital and put in an induced coma. She woke up approximately two weeks later with no memory of the events surrounding her illness. Ms. Dromgool gradually recovered and…
Health officials in Fresno County, Calif. reported earlier this week that a patient at a nursing home died due to Legionnaires’ disease. Additional details about the patient and date of death were not released; however, the health department has been investigating the NorthPointe Health Centre since January 23, 2017. According to health officials, no other cases of Legionnaires’ disease were identified at this nursing home. A different nursing home, Horizon Health & Subacute Center in northeast Fresno, however, also experienced a Legionella scare in January when the bacteria were found at the facility. A resident was diagnosed with a respiratory illness, but the…
Legionella bacteria were discovered at the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Health System in January during routine testing. The hospital imposed water restrictions at the facility to prevent infection after the bacteria were discovered in multiple sinks. Testing occurred from Jan. 6 to Jan. 27 during which nine sinks and two supply lines tested positive for Legionella, bacteria known to cause a more virulent form of pneumonia. Water restrictions were put in place on Jan. 28 and will last 14 days. There have been no reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease associated with the VA Pittsburgh as a result of this recent testing.…
Delta Cooling Towers, a New Jersey-based manufacturer of cooling towers, has unveiled a product that they hope will prevent the spread of Legionella bacteria. The cooling towers are made of an anti-microbial resin that has been treated with additives to prevent the growth of microorganisms. The plastic towers are also less affected by water treatments than metal towers–corrosive treatments in metal towers can release nutrients that feed Legionella bacteria. John Flaherty, president of Delta Cooling Towers, mentioned in a statement that this innovation is only one part of the process of safe water management. Competent and consistent maintenance of cooling towers is…
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…
A research group called CU and the CDC comprised of both undergraduate students from Clemson and officials of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) had the privilege of naming a new strain of Legionella bacteria after the University- Legionella clemsonensis. The CDC sent 68 strains of Legionella bacteria that didn’t match up to any strains in the current database to Clemson students to analyze. Through sequencing two genes, the students were to determine if the species could be identified as one of the known strains of Legionella, or if the strains were new. These tests revealed that one of…
Several cooling towers in the town of Hopkins, MN are under investigation as the number of reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease continues to rise. The town has seen 23 cases of the disease within the past two months, one of them fatal. Residents of the town, which has a population of 18,000, were told last week that the Minnesota Department of Health is conducting tests on several water towers. The seven water towers under investigation have been named. Testing samples have been taken and the towers are now undergoing routine disinfection, though test results for Legionella are not yet available. No…
Two students at the Allegheny Valley School in Coraopolis, PA have been infected with Legionella bacteria. Spokespeople at the school, which provides services to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, confirmed the two cases and stated that the campus was being tested. All tests so far have been negative and the investigation continues. As a precaution, students and staff have been given bottled water. The Allegheny County Health Department has been involved in the investigation. This is the second time Legionella bacteria have been found in an Allegheny County facility recently–the Allegheny General Hospital found the bacteria in its water system earlier this year,…