Several cooling towers in the town of Hopkins, MN are under investigation as the number of reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease continues to rise. The town has seen 23 cases of the disease within the past two months, one of them fatal. Residents of the town, which has a population of 18,000, were told last week that the Minnesota Department of Health is conducting tests on several water towers. The seven water towers under investigation have been named. Testing samples have been taken and the towers are now undergoing routine disinfection, though test results for Legionella are not yet available. No…
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…
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…
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 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…
Routine testing of Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital’s water system last month yielded positive results for Legionella bacteria in several parts of the hospital. Consequently, one patient at the facility developed Legionnaires’ disease. An employee stated on Wednesday night that the water containing the Legionella bacteria was within the hospital’s plumbing system. The hospital states they are taking action to eliminate the issue. Special filters have been implemented on sinks, shower heads, and ice machines throughout the facility. Water use has also been restricted. Legionnaires’ disease cannot be spread from person to person, and can only develop as a result of…
On Friday, September 2nd, special prosecutor Todd Flood and Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton stated that they expect additional criminal charges to be filed regarding the water crisis in Flint, MI. Back in 2014, officials of the Department of Environmental Quality allowed the city to change its water source to the Flint River without requiring the water to be treated to make it less corrosive. Between 2014 and 2015 at least twelve people died as a result of Legionnaires’ disease, an infection caused by Legionella bacteria found in water systems, suggesting a possible correlation between the change in the city’s water source and the Legionnaires’…
Two individuals at the Rangel Houses in Harlem have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. Regarding these two cases, the NYC Department of Health released a statement indicating that they are working with the New York City Housing Authority (“NYCHA”) to launch an investigation and test the water supply in one of the buildings within the public housing complex. The results of these tests will not be determined for a few weeks, and until then it is unclear whether or not the suspected building is the source of the Legionella bacteria that is responsible for these two cases. In an effort to…
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…
SCI Pittsburgh has discovered unacceptably high levels of Legionella bacteria in its water supply. Prison officials have stated that water in a cooling tower and in the medical building has been contaminated. Routine testing for the bacteria revealed its presence and steps are now being taken to avoid an outbreak. Prison officials are distributing bottled drinking water to employees and inmates, and the showers in the medical buildings have been shut down. Showers in other buildings and cooking water remain unaffected, a spokesperson said. No inmates or employees are yet known to have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. Since Legionnaires’…