Another case of Legionnaires’ disease has occurred in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, bringing the total to 15 including one death since July 2018. All of the victims either lived or traveled in the city. The CDC has completed its environmental assessment by taking water samples from cooling towers and water features such as decorative fountains. Final results have not been released. What is interesting is the local health department’s comment that often a single source for the outbreak is not found. That is not the experience of this law firm. The most recent example is the outbreak associated with the…
In a previous post, we discussed an introduction to water system maintenance. More detailed resources, however, can clearly be of great assistance in situations like this. As such, the CDC actually provides a great page to review other significant guidelines and standards that may be applicable. Resources on the page include everything from ASHRAE to the Cooling Tower Institute however what’s also of interest is that the page provides links to more healthcare-specific guidelines including those from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as, of course, the CDC’s own guidelines on both matters. Here are some of…
About a month ago, Transparency Market Research estimated that the global legionella testing market was valued at US$180 million in 2016. In addition, Transparency Market Research also estimated that the testing market would reach around US$398.7 million by 2025. Perhaps one of the biggest factors for future growth moving forward is that the incidence rate is increasing globally, particularly in developing regions. With this higher incidence of infectious diseases comes a steady increase in the demand for diagnostic kits and with it the global legionella testing market is expected to substantially grow. As it stands now, the incidence rate of…
Earlier last month, researchers with the National Institutes of Health reported that many hospital plumbing systems are a ‘vast’ reservoir of drug-resistant superbug germs and other bacteria like Legionella. This report came after NIH officials had done checks of the plumbing at the their flagship hospital near Washington, D.C., checks which showed drains could be packed with bacteria and ultimately concluded that this issue is likely present at other hospitals. Now the report also mentioned that the superbugs are not very common anywhere else in the hospitals and as such, they are simply unlikely to be an overall threat to…
This past weekend, it was reported by WKBW Buffalo that the Buffalo Public Schools were investigating a potential claim of Legionella being found at the Districts office. According to the report, the bacteria was found in a single water sample and furthermore, according to a spokesperson for the Buffalo Public Schools, it is unclear whether this finding is accurate. Part of the reason for the lack of clarity is due to there not being any current standards for Legionella testing in buildings that are not health related. This is in addition to the fact that individuals associated with the Buffalo…
Last week, on January 9th, Illinois state officials gathered for a hearing on the Legionnaires’ outbreak which occurred at the Quincy, Illinois Veterans Home and has resulted in the death of 13 people since August 2015. This hearing not only discussed the causes of this outbreak and what responses were taken in its aftermath, but also reviewed next steps forward to ensure that such an incident would not happen again. As a review, the first reported case of this outbreak at the veterans home arrived in late July 2015 with a second identified case arriving just a few weeks later.…
From New York to California, populations across the United States have an increased risk of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak. Health officials are increasingly concerned about the continuous uptick of Legionnaires’ disease cases, which have risen steadily since 2000. While the waterborne bacterial disease is relatively rare ― with 6,238 cases nationwideso far this year ― there has been a 13.6 percent increase in cases since this time last year. That’s nearly double the increase of 7.8 percent from 2015 to 2016 in the same time period. The disease is not contagious. It’s contracted when people breathe in water droplets contaminated…
Even the happiest place on Earth is immune from the potentially lethal bacteria called Legionella. Orange County, CA health officials isolated Cooling towers located in Disneyland as the common source that caused at least 12 cases of legionnaires’ disease over the last three weeks. Most of those who were affected were visitors of the park while at least three were resident living closely to the cooling towers in question. At least 10 individuals were hospitalized. Legionnaires’ is a severe lung infection caused by exposure to contaminated water or mist. In other cases handled by Jules Zacher, we have seen cooling…
According to Health officials in the state of Michigan cases of legionnaires’ disease have increase 143% over a three year period. In June and July alone, there have been 73 confirmed cases on legionnella pneumonia, also know as Legionnaires’ disease. Officials stated that they are conducting investigation to attempt to determine the cause of this increase. At this point, there has been no common source between all of these cases. Flint, MI is one of the places where legionella has been found in dangerous concentration, on top of the lead that was discovered in the water causing national attention to…
The New York State Department of Health is currently investigating James Square as a possible source of Legionella bacteria after two cases of Legionellosis are believed to be associated with the nursing home. The nursing home’s potable water system recently tested positive for Legionella bacteria. A water restriction is now in place until additional tests are taken and remediation is performed on the facility’s water system. James Square facility was recently raided by the state Attorney General’s office after claims of poor resident care. If you believe you or someone you know has been diagnosed with this disease, Contact us to see…