The La Quinta Inn & Suites in Memphis, Tennessee has been closed since September 22, 2016, following 6 confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease in people that stayed there. Prior to close, the hotel distributed a letter by the Shelby County Health Department that urged anyone who experienced symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches, or headaches after staying there to seek medical attention. However, the hotel now has reason to believe that around 6,000 people could have been exposed to the Legionella bacteria responsible for the outbreak between July 1, 2016 and September 22, 2016. They are now…
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…
Lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Griffiths of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, who serves as a professor of public health and medicine, explained that his team analyzed 100 million Medicare records dated between 1991 and 2006. During that time, over 617,000 Americans had been hospitalized due to infection resulting from exposure to Legionella, which is responsible for Legionnaires’ disease; pseudomonas, which can develop into pneumonia; and mycobacteria, which can cause tuberculosis among other illnesses. These bacteria can live in pipes and survive on small amounts of nutrients found in water. Although most often water treatment plants are in place to help…
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…
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.…
A Lockheed Martin plant in Marietta, GA has been dealing with a possible outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. Two plant workers were recently diagnosed with the disease Administrators circulated an internal memo on July 28 stating that Legionella experts had conducted initial tests for the bacteria; these tests turned out negative. The company states that it plans to continue testing at the facility and to make changes to its water treatment system. These two cases are the first in Marietta to be linked to a single location, but now some former workers who contracted the disease are coming forward with their stories.…
Michigan’s Attorney General Bill Schuette has provided more information about an investigation into an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Flint. The media storm surrounding cases of lead poisoning in the city at first overlooked Legionnaires’ disease, but recent probes have brought the outbreak to the public’s attention. Aging city infrastructure, combined with a water supply that may have been contaminated with Legionella bacteria, led to the outbreak that claimed at least 12 lives last year in the embattled city. The Attorney General’s office has been pursuing this investigation for two months. It has now announced that the investigation may lead…
Officials have confirmed a third case of Legionnaires’ disease at Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy, IL. This confirmation comes less than a month after the opening of a new water system at the home. The status of the third patient is unknown. The Quincy home has experienced problems with Legionnaires’ disease in the past. Last year, 53 people contracted Legionnaires’ disease and 12 died in an outbreak, prompting officials to replace the home’s water system. The new water system cost nearly $5 million and was designed to combat the spread of bacteria by heating and chlorinating water in individual buildings…