Legionnaires' Disease Archives

November 11, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Norwegian Cruise Line Warns Passengers of Legionnaires’ Disease Cases

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has issued an urgent notice to current and former passengers of the Norwegian Epic following reports that two travelers were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease after recent voyages aboard the 4,100-passenger ship. According to a passenger email shared with Cruise Radio, the alert—sent on November 4—was distributed to guests currently sailing on the ship’s 12-night Mediterranean itinerary from Rome to Lisbon, as well as to passengers who had recently completed earlier segments of the same voyage. NCL’s notice stated that it is unclear whether the guests were exposed aboard the ship or elsewhere. The company is now…

Legionella Pneumophila Bacteria. 3D illustration

November 11, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Marshall County Declares Legionnaires’ Outbreak Over — but the Source Remains a Mystery

November 7, 2025 — Marshall County, Iowa After weeks of investigation and dozens of confirmed cases, Marshall County Public Health (MCPH) has officially declared the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak over. But despite extensive testing and cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), officials say the precise source of the bacteria was never found. The outbreak, which began in early September, sickened 74 people and led to two deaths. Health officials identified 12 business centers in north-central Marshalltown as likely locations where exposure may have occurred — all of which contained cooling towers, a common source of Legionella bacteria.…

November 3, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Cooling Towers and Data Centers

Why Cooling Towers Are Used in AI-Driven Data Centers—and Why That Matters for Public Health As the world races to harness the power of artificial intelligence, the physical infrastructure behind AI is expanding at an unprecedented rate. Massive data centers—home to the servers powering models like GPT-5—are being built across the country. But with these high-performance computing facilities comes a lesser-known risk: the potential for outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease due to the use of cooling towers. High Heat, High Stakes: Why Cooling Towers? AI models require enormous computational power. Training a large language model or powering real-time AI tools demands…

February 7, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Deadly Outbreak is Being Investigated at a Vermont Nursing Home: 6 Infected, 1 Dead – What You Need to Know NOW

According to the Vermont Department of Health, an outbreak of Legionnaires disease is being investigated at the Village at Cedar Hill, part of the Cedar Hill Continuing Care Community in Windsor, Vermont. As of January 29, 2025, six cases have been confirmed, with one resulting in death. healthvermont.gov eagletimes.com Understanding Legionnaires Disease Legionnaires disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. Symptoms typically appear within 2 to 14 days after exposure and include: Cough Fever Headaches Muscle aches Shortness of breath Confusion Diarrhea or nausea The disease is treatable with antibiotics, but certain groups are at higher…

February 4, 2025 zacherlaw 0 Comments

CDC Cites 2024 Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreaks

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, December 2024, was a bad month for the cruise industry. There were numerous outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease on different cruise ships. These outbreaks point out the need for strict water maintenance, e.g. draining water from hot tubs between uses, removing heating elements, and increasing cleaning and disinfection of the hot tubs, on these ships. Understanding Legionnaires’ Disease Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila. The bacteria thrive in warm, stagnant water environments and are commonly transmitted through inhalation of contaminated water droplets. Symptoms include…

August 28, 2023 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Legionnaire’ disease cases in Las Vegas All Over Again

Two people who stayed at the Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino were recently diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, as was also a former guest of the Orleans Hotel and Casino, according to the Southern Nevada Health District. Earlier this year, 2 Legionnaires disease cases were reported among guests at the Orleans , prompting an investigation. According to news reports, the Orleans’ water system was remediated and tested for the presence of the legionella bacteria, showing that there was no bacteria being detected at the time. Even so, after the additional recent new case was reported at the Orleans, environmental samples tested…

March 5, 2023 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Outbreak at Las Vegas Hotel

According to news reports, the Southern Nevada Health District is investigating two cases of Legionnaires’ disease at a hotel in Las Vegas. The guests stayed there in ecember 2022 and January 2023. Legionella bacteria was found at the Clarion Hotel again according to the news report. It appears that the legionella was found in the potable water system. This office has previously represented numerous guests who had stayed at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas and acquired Legionnaires’ disease as part of an outbreak. These victims also acquired their disease from the potable water system. The transmission of the disease…

March 4, 2023 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Multiple Cases of Legionnaires’ Disease at a South Carolina Nursing Home

Multiple Cases of Legionnaires’ Disease at a South Carolina Nursing HomeAccording to a news report, the South Carolina Department of Health isinvestigating a nursing home in Fairfield County, South Carolina for multiple casesof Legionnaires’ disease. According to another news report, the same nursinghome had been fined over $16,000.00 and had 3 infection-related deficiencies,prior to the investigation by the South Carolina Department of Health. South Carolina Nursing Home Update: The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Services hastested the well water at the Ridgeway Manor Healthcare Center in Ridgeway,South Carolina, which came back negative, according to a TV news report.…

August 1, 2022 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Napa County Health Officials Investigating Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak

Following nine confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ Disease, Napa County health officials have announced they are opening an investigation. County officials have also identified two suspected cases and one “probable” case. All nine cases were reported to Napa County Public Health between July 11 and July 27. So far, all nine individuals have been hospitalized but there have not been any reported deaths, according to the county. The investigation is ongoing. To read more about the Napa County Health Officials Investigating Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak, click here. To read our firm’s white paper on Legionnaires’ disease and COVID-19, click here. For more…

July 18, 2022 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Marion County Department of Health to Inspect Hundreds of Pools to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease

Since 2015, there have been at least 208 illness outbreaks associated with public pools, hot tubs, and water playgrounds according to the CDC. That’s at least 3,646 cases of illness and 13 deaths each year. Among these outbreaks, Legionnaires’ Disease is especially prominent. According to the Marion County Public Health Department, the number is in actuality, difficult to measure, as it’s believed most cases go unreported. The Public Health Department inspects more than 900 private and public pools each year. In fact, according to Michael Furnas, a pool specialist who tests pH levels and disinfectant concentration, estimates that…