In a previous post, we discussed the origins and very early beginnings of Legionnaires’ disease. In this post, we are hoping to slowly move through time and discuss some significant outbreaks and moments of Legionnaires’ disease history. Perhaps the first major outbreak after the 1976 Philadelphia incident would be with Stafford, England. In April 1985, approximately 175 people were admitted into the Kingsmead Stafford Hospital with pneumonia. Of these cases, around 28 individuals ended up dying with the origin of the infection being discovered to be the Stafford District Hospital. About a decade later, in March 1999, the Bovenkarspel legionellosis…
On Tuesday, February 6, 2018, a Brooke Army Medical Center staff member was confirmed to have Legionnaires’ disease. This confirmation was made by the Brooke Army Medical Center spokesman Robert Whetstone on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 and in addition to the two previous cases of Legionnaires disease reported last August, makes this incident officially an outbreak according to the Emerging and Acute Infectious Disease Guidelines. According to Mr. Whetstone, “the health and safety of our patients and staff is our top priority, and we are working diligently with local and regional public health officials to investigate this matter,”. In addition, Whetstone added that Brooke…
In a study released late last year, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that cooling towers (CTs) were found to be a leading source of Legionnaires’ disease outbreak across the United States. These results were obtained by obtaining aliquots from various water samples collected during routine Legionella testing from approximately 196 cooling towers across eight of the nine continental US climate regions in order to control for regional differences. After examining these 196 samples, Legionella spp were found in 78 of the samples, L. pneomophila were isolated in approximately 53 of the samples, and L. pneumophila serogroup 1…
A Lisbon area hospital is now reporting an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, just a couple of months after there was a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at another Lisbon area hospital, specifically the São Francisco Xavier Hospital. This was confirmed by health officials yesterday and furthermore, that there are currently seven cases of Legionnaires’ disease reported at the CUF Descobertas Hospital. All seven patients, which include six women and one man, are reportedly in stable condition and are undergoing treatment at the moment. In order to ensure that this outbreak does not become more severe, a team of nurses are now responsible for contacting…
In August of 2015, 133 Bronx residents contracted Legionnaires’ disease, an outbreak which ultimately resulted in the death of 16 individuals. This incident would be the worst recorded outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York state’s history however now, more than two years later, New York continues to show problems as 2017 posts a record number of cases, including a far larger rate of Legionnaires’ disease than just about every other state per capita. New York once again led the United States for reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease in 2017 with a total of 1,009 cases reported to the CDC. And far from the situation improving, this rate of…
In our previous post, we discussed first steps for institutions to take in order to develop an effective water management plan to reduce the risk of Legionnaires’ disease. And while it is certainly true that Legionnaires’ disease can occur within larger buildings, including older structures with older pipes, there is also the potential to encounter Legionella bacteria and Legionnaires’ disease with outdoor activities, including through gardening. There are a couple of reasons for this. As this site has discussed before, Legionella bacteria often forms in stagnant and standing pools of water, particularly when this water happens to be warm. When…
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…
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…