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9 Hospitalized for Legionnaires’ Disease from Spanish Hotel

jzacher — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:56:08 +0000

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

Guest who Stayed at Las Vegas Luxor Dies of Legionnaires’

jzacher — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:40:17 +0000

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

Four Confirmed Cases of Legionnaires’ Disease in Spain

jzacher — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:27:06 +0000

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

Possible Source of Legionnaires’ in British Columbia

jzacher — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:48:38 +0000

According to the Toronto Sun and the Edmonton Journal, Greg Thor, a 45-year-old man from Edmonton, Alberta, is suspected to have contracted Legionnaires’ disease while on vacation in Valemont, British Columbia. He is currently being treated at the University of Alberta Hospital, and according to an online forum post, is on life support and in critical condition. Although labs at Edmonton identified the illness as Legionnaires’, it still has yet to be confirmed by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

Northern Health officials in British Columbia are currently conducting an investigation to determine the source of illness, the Toronto Sun reports.

For more information:

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/01/10/legionnaires-may-have-been-contracted-in-bc

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Edmonton+remains+coma+after+contracting+legionnaires+disease/5971002/story.html

Legionnaires’ Disease at Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas

jzacher — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:37:06 +0000

Six confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease from December, 2009 to April, 2011 have been linked to the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. After receiving reports of Legionnaires’ disease connected with recent travel to the Aria, the Southern Nevada Health District conducted tests of the hotel’s hot water system between June 21 and July 4, 2011 and found heightened levels of legionella bacteria. In response, the Aria has issued letters to guests who stayed there in that time frame, and has implemented “additional precautionary measures,” though it is not clear at this time what those measures are.

Protecting Against Recreational Water Illnesses

jzacher — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:26:25 +0000

In an article published on July 12, 2011 in the New York Times, Jane E. Brody discussed the prevalence of waterborne illnesses in natural and man-made water sources, along with a number of protection strategies. “Recreational water illnesses,” or RWIs, so dubbed by the CDC, may result not only from swimming in natural, untreated water sources, such as lakes or rivers, but also from chemically treated water sources, like pools and hot tubs; in fact, 94% of RWI cases investigated in a 2006 study by the CDC were associated with treated water sources. A common cause in this study was the bacterium Cryptosporidium, which, thanks to a tough outer shell it develops in its spore phase, is resistant to chlorine and can survive for an extended period of time outside a host. Cryptosporidium, like Legionella, is one of the leading causes of RWIs in the United States.

A study like this highlights the fact that even if a pool or hot tub has been treated with chlorine, bacteria may still survive. It is always important to ensure that the pH and chlorine levels in pools and hot tubs are maintained at an effective range for killing bacteria; public pools and hot tubs should be tested for this twice a day. The CDC advises that chlorine levels fall between 1.0 and 4.0 ppm, and that pH levels fall between 7.2 and 7.8. While it is the responsibility of the pool or hot tub management to monitor disinfectant levels, pool and hot tub users are also encouraged to check themselves using chlorine and pH test strips which are widely available for purchase.

High levels of legionella bacteria in Galveston, TX

jzacher — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:08:43 +0000

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has placed special filters on all faucets because of higher than normal levels of legionella in the water supply in December 2008. Legionella bacteria is the cause of Legionnaires’ disease. There have, however, been no reported cases of the disease at the University.