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…
A fourth resident of the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy, Illinois was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. Another case of Legionnaires’ disease was also recently confirmed in the Quincy area, but this case does not appear to be associated with the Veterans’ Home in any way. A spokesman with the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, Dave MacDonna, indicated that the source of the Legionella bacteria that is responsible for this fourth case associated with the facility has not yet been determined. The gentleman’s room, where he eats, where he relaxes, and the building where he lives have all been eliminated as possible sources of exposure to the bacteria. In light of four positive…
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.…
The Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA is exploring options to eliminate Legionella bacteria from its water supply. The hospital found the bacteria in two water tanks earlier this year, and has since taken steps to keep patients safe. Hospital officials shut down sources of drinking water in several floors of its main inpatient facility after Legionella cultures were positive, and it increased the frequency of testing in high-risk units. The hospital has now largely returned to its normal water treatment system, though officials are continuing to test drinking water and are considering an overhaul of the existing water treatment system. The…
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…
Analysts expect the global market for Legionella testing to grow considerably over the next several years. As property owners and businesses become aware of the value of testing their water systems for Legionella, demand for testing products and water experts should increase. Public health initiatives and the widespread publicity of cases like the Bronx outbreak and the Flint water crisis have increased awareness of the risks of Legionnaires’ disease in the popular mind. As doctors and patients become more aware that diagnoses of pneumonia and colds might be concealing the presence of Legionella, advancements in testing will drive up the demand…
Regulations that require managers to test cooling towers in New York City have gone into effect as of July 6, 2016. After last year’s deadly South Bronx outbreak, in which 138 residents were sickened and 16 died, investigators determined that a contaminated cooling tower was the source of Legionella bacteria. Emergency regulations were passed requiring property owners to register their buildings and perform tests for Legionella. These temporary measures calmed public concern and created a list of cooling towers in the Bronx area, which will be used by investigators in the future. Now these measures have been made permanent, and the New…
The continuing saga of Legionella at the Golden Sands Condominium advanced this week when recent tests showed the presence of the bacteria in the water once again. After two guests contracted Legionnaires’ disease at the Maryland facility last November, management launched a treatment plan and disinfected the building’s water system with chlorine. Subsequent tests indicated that the bacteria was under control. At the end of June, however, two more guests of the condo contracted Legionnaires’. As required by the local health department, management began to conduct biweekly tests of the building and alerted tenants of the risk. The results of…