Three former residents and one employee of Wesley Health Care Center in Saratoga Springs, New York tested positive for Legionella bacteria. The former residents were staying on the same floor while involved in short-term rehabilitation programs at the nursing home. The facility last performed routine tests for Legionella on September 2, 2016, yielding negative results. Saratoga Hospital informed Wesley Health Care Center of the cases of Legionnaires’ disease on October 13, 2016, and dozens of water samples have been taken from the facility since then in an attempt to determine if it is the source of the bacteria. The results of those tests are not yet…
A patient at the UW Medical Center in Seattle, WA has filed a claim against the hospital after she contracted Legionnaires’ disease while recovering from a transplant. Victoria Martin, 32, underwent a successful heart transplant on August 8, 2016. She was placed on a standard program of immunosuppressant drugs, which made her more vulnerable to infections and bactera such as Legionella. When she contracted Legionnaires’ disease after the transplant, she was put on a respirator in the ICU for 25 days. She spent a total of 35 days in the hospital undergoing treatment for the disease. She still returns to…
Numbers continue to grow in the ongoing investigation in Hopkins, MN, and officials still are unsure what the source of the Legionella responsible for this outbreak might be. Currently, the total confirmed cases found associated with the Hopkins area adds up to 20, with one case resulting in the victim’s death. The victims of the disease were found to live, work, or have visited the Hopkins, Minnesota area prior to September 9, 2016. Although some measures to eradicate the possible source of the outbreak have already been taken- such as disinfecting cooling towers atop some local businesses and shutting down…
The University of Washington Medical Center began the remediation process following the Legionnaires’ disease diagnoses of four patients treated at their facility. Two of these patients have since passed. However, while the facility believed that their efforts had eliminated the bacteria, on Monday, September 26, 2016, officials announced a fifth case of Legionnaires’ disease associated with the facility. UW Medical Center implemented the use of filters and flushed their water system with chlorine on September 19th and 20th. These efforts were believed to have abolished Legionella bacteria from the Cascade Tower, which was thought to be the cause of the outbreak. While the fifth diagnosed patient…
The La Quinta Inn & Suites located by the Memphis International Airport was closed Thursday morning, thanks to Shelby County health officials. The hotel is being investigated by the Tennessee Department of Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control after five people who reported staying there this past August contracted Legionnaires’ disease. Prior to its close, the hotel distributed a letter by the Shelby County Health Department to its guests that urged anyone who experienced symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease within a two week period from being at the hotel to seek medical attention. However, many guests feel that they…
Corinne Miller, former Director of Disease Control and Prevention within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Corinne Miller, who retired earlier this year from her position as the Director of Disease Control and Prevention within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, accepted a plea agreement last week regarding her involvement in the Flint water crisis. Miller plead no-contest to a misdemeanor charge of willful neglect of duty by a public officer, relinquishing two felony charges. Her misdemeanor charge may even be dismissed after her probation is completed. The plea acknowledges that Miller was aware of dozens of cases of…
Sinks and an ice machine at the University of Washington’s Medical Center in Seattle tested positive for Legionella bacteria last week; however, as of Monday, officials reported that the bacteria was also found within three CardiQuip heater-cooler machines at the facility. Heater-cooler machines are utilized during heart surgeries to regulate blood temperature. The machines tested positive for Legionella after an investigation was launched, following four confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease in those that were treated there. Two of these patients have since died. The federal Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) reported 32 infections associated with heater-cooler machines within the period…
Officials at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, WA have investigated possible sources of Legionella bacteria. Three cases of Legionnaires’ disease, two of them fatal, have been associated with the hospital within the last month. Legionella has been found in ice makers and sinks in the hospital’s cardiac unit. On August 26, the hospital learned that a 30-year-old woman had contracted the disease; she has since been discharged and is recovering at home. A 50-year-old man was reported to have the disease on September 6. He died in the hospital on Thursday. This week, an autopsy linked the August 27…
The Minnesota Department of Health has confirmed six cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the city of Hopkins. The source of the bacteria remains unknown. All six of the patients are over 50 years old. As of Friday, three of the patients remained hospitalized; two had recovered, and the status of the most recent case remained unknown. The MDH is conducting tests and investigations into possible connections between the cases. Four of the patients live in Hopkins, but no further links have been found. Health officials are looking into supermarkets, ornamental fountains, and local buildings with cooling towers as potential sources.…
The Georgia Department of Public Health began an investigation of Lockheed Martin’s campus in Marietta, Georgia after four employees within a 12-month period were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. Nancy Nydam, spokesperson for the state health department, stated that said investigation revealed the presence of Legionella at certain locations of the campus. In July of this year, Lockheed Martin circulated an internal memo stating that initial testing by an expert gave no indication that the employees contracted Legionnaires’ disease at the Marietta campus. However, in light of the new findings, Lockheed distributed a supplemental memo informing employees that further testing found Legionella at the facility. Rob Fuller, Lockheed’s communication senior…