Update on Luxor Legionnaires’ Outbreak Death.

According to MSNBC reports, the death of nurse Kathy Tilley from Mount Vernon, WA on January 2nd sparked the investigation by the Southern Nevada Health District at the Las Vegas Luxor hotel last month.

Legionella bacteria was found in the hotel shower, tub and sink in the room where Kathy and her husband stayed. The Tilley’s checked into the hotel on December 15^th to celebrate their 40^th wedding anniversary.

To date, there have been three reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease contracted at the MGM Resorts International-owned Luxor.

Jules Zacher, PC currently represents 31 plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit against Aria Resort & Casino stemming from six reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease in July 2011 from guests who stayed there. Aria Resort & Casino is part of the CityCenter complex that is half-owned by MGM Resorts.

Updates will follow as they become available.

For more information, please see the articles below:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46319576/ns/local_news-seattle_wa/t/mount-vernon-death-linked-legionnaires-disease/#

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Legion-138976199.html#

http://www.goskagit.com/news/local_news/article_d65ae165-45e7-5f90-8d1d-49b6b257b399.html

According to the Dayton Daily News, another lawsuit has been filed for the death of a man from Legionnaires’ Disease at Miami Valley Hospital. Charles O. Preston, 94 years old, died March 23 from Legionnella pneumonia. The lawsuit, filed by attorney Dwight Brannon, includes three other deaths. Defendants under the lawsuit include multiple hospital officials, Premier Health Partners, and some firms involved in constructing the hospital’s new wing, the Dayton Daily News reports.

As mentioned in previous blog posts, the outbreak occurred in February 2011. In March, hospital officials declared that 11 patients were infected with Legionnaires’ Disease. Jules Zacher, Esq. is currently representing two clients who contracted the disease from Miami Valley Hospital.

For more information, please reference site below:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/family-blames-hospital-for-mans-death-from-legionnaires-disease-1325874.html

Update on the recent Legionnaires’ outbreak in Spain and subsequent hospitalizations.

According to The Telegraph, the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe, Costa Blanca, Spain, which has already cost the lives of three British men, was first detected a month before health authorities took action.

In the middle of December, health authorities were first made aware of a case of Legionnaires’ when it was contracted by a Spanish guest at the hotel. Then two weeks later, on December 27^th, a waitress at the hotel came down with the disease.

The minister of health for the region, Luis Rosado, defended his handling of the crisis on Saturday saying, “we did what we had to do until we had definitive confirmation of the epidemic.”

Local reports claim that hotel staff were made aware of the danger back in December and told to take extra precautions but not to mention it to guests.

The three Britons who have died ranged in age from 73 to 78. In total, 11 Britons and 4 Spaniards have contracted the disease as a result of this outbreak.

Updates will be posted as they become available.

For more information, please see the following articles:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9061884/Legionnaires-disease-that-killed-three-Britons-at-Spanish-hotel-was-detected-a-month-before-action-taken.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16865080

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/third-briton-dies-from-legionnaires-disease-6348858.html#

http://digitaljournal.com/article/318956

Update on the recent Legionnaires’ outbreak in Spain and subsequent hospitalizations.

BBC News is reporting three British men have died and three more people are still hospitalized after contracting Legionnaires’ disease while staying at the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe, Costa Blanca, Spain.

An epidemiological analysis has linked 15 cases to this location, leading to the preventive closing of the hotel.

The 11 Britons and 4 Spaniards infected range in age from 44 to 88, including the three who died.

Updates will be posted as they become available.

For more information, please see the following articles:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16865080

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/third-briton-dies-from-legionnaires-disease-6348858.html#

http://digitaljournal.com/article/318956

http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/28902-legionnaires-disease-kills-three-britons-in-spain

According to the Wall Street Journal and Times Union, The New York State Department of Health announced February 2nd that six cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been linked to the Best Western Sovereign Hotel at 1228 Western Ave. NY state epidemiologists traced the illness back to the hotel.

The six patients were guests of the hotel between September and December 2011. It is alleged that all have since recovered.

Water tests were conducted on January 24^th and the results January 30th confirmed that high levels of legionella bacteria were present in the hotel’s water system.

The NY State Dept of Health has not closed the hotel and has determined that current guests are not at risk based upon remedial measures the hotel has taken. Best Western flushed its water system yesterday under the supervision of Albany county officials and has also raised the temperature of the water in an attempt to kill off the bacteria.

The hotel has been instructed to inform current and prospective guests about the problem and the county is contacting guests who have recently stayed at the hotel.

Updates will be posted as they become available.

For more information, please see the articles below:

http://online.wsj.com/article/APc99086b2afa94c57a72e593a6a15e400.html

http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/572500/legionnaires–disease-confirmed-at-best-western/

http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Legionnaire-s-hits-6-at-hotel-in-Albany-2962236.php

After staying at the AR Diamante Beach hotel in Calpe, Spain, at least 9 UK individuals have been hospitalized with Legionnaires’ Disease, according to Sky News. All nine individuals are retirees, and one 76-year-old man is currently in an intensive care unit at a UK hospital.

Sky News reports that once the cases became known, guests were moved to a nearby hotel. Though in preliminary findings there were no traces of legionella found, the hotel’s plumbing underwent a sanitation process after guests vacated. It is yet to be determined whether more hotel guests have been affected. Updates will be posted as soon as they become available.

For more information, please reference the site below:

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16161194

One of four doctors involved in the hospitalization of 11 newborns and the death of three from Legionnaires’ Disease pleaded not guilty on January 19, 2012, the Cyprus Mail reports. All four doctors are facing charges surrounding the incident, and one is charged with causing death “due to irresponsible and dangerous action.” Other charges include failing to take adequate precautions to insure the safety of patients and staff, and failing to follow the required health and safety protocol.

According to the Cyprus Mail, all infants were born in Hippocrateon Hospital between December 19, 2008 and December 22, 2008, and were later admitted to the intensive care unit of a different hospital. The nursery ward was closed on December 29, 2008 when it was found that all infants had Legionnaires’. Legionella bacteria were found in a humidifier in the Hippocrateon newborns’ unit, as well as in parts of the hospital’s water distribution system.

The other three doctors are expected to plead to the charges on March 3. The hearing date is set for May 7. Updates of this case will follow as they become available.

For additional information, please reference the links below:

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/legionnaires/legionnaires-doctor-pleads-not-guilty/20120120

http://www.cyprus-mail.com/legionnaires/doctors-court-legionnaires-baby-deaths/20120110

A guest who stayed at the Las Vegas Luxor, owned by MGM Resorts International, has recently died of Legionnaires’ disease. This is the third case of Legionnaires’ disease involving Luxor guests in 2011 reported to the Southern Nevada Health District through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s national surveillance system.

Based on this report, the Health District initiated an epidemiological and environmental investigation in December 2011. The water samples tested positive for Legionella bacteria. The hotel began a remediation process including superheating and super-chlorination of the water system.

The first two cases were reported in spring 2011 and non-fatal. Following the spring 2011 report, the health district tested water samples from the hotel however, no Legionella bacteria was detected.

To date, no additional cases of disease have been reported. Updates will follow as they become available.

Jules Zacher, PC currently represents 31 plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit against Aria Resort & Casino stemming from six reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease in July 2011 from guests who stayed there. Aria Resort & Casino is part of the CityCenter complex that is half-owned by MGM Resorts.

Sources:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/nv-health-officials-bacteria-found-in-luxor-water-after-guest-dies-of-legionnaires-disease/2012/01/30/gIQAKchmcQ_story.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/30/legionnaires-disease-luxor-las-vegas-pneumonia_n_1242539.html?view=print&comm_ref=false

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/jan/30/guest-who-stayed-luxor-dies-legionnaires-disease/

http://www.8newsnow.com/story/16632205/breaking-news-three-luxor-guests-diagnosed-with-legionnaires-disease

http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2012/01/legionella-found-in-water-at-las-vegas-resort.aspx

The United Kingdom Department of Health issued an alert advising of a possible outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease associated with a hotel in Calpe, Costa Blanca, Spain. There are four confirmed cases and a probable fifth case, with an onset date of January 16, 2012, associated with a hotel in that area.

The authorities in Spain are investigating the hotel site and surrounding area. The European Legionnaires’ Disease Surveillance Network has been notified of these cases.

Currently, there are sixteen possible cases being investigated. Updates will follow as they become available.

Sources:

https://www.cas.dh.gov.uk/ViewandAcknowledgment/ViewAlert.aspx?AlertID=101722

Health and Social Services confirmed the presence of bacteria in the water supply of Guernsey’s Princess Elizabeth Hospital, according to articles in BBC News and The Guernsey Press.

An “unacceptable” level of legionella was found during routine checks of the water supply on January 9, 2012. However, Health and Social Services asserts that there is “minimal risk” to patients and staff, and there are currently no reports of the illness. Currently, steps are being taken to decontaminate the water supply by flushing chlorinated water through the hospital’s pipe-work. One cleansing took place on Sunday, January 15^th, and another cleansing will take place on January 22^nd, BBC News reports.

For more information, please reference the articles below:

http://www.thisisguernsey.com/news/2012/01/10/legionnaires-bug-found-in-water-supply-at-peh/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-16546584